One of Auckland's oldest fire stations has hit the market for sale, and it comes with its own vintage fire truck.
504 Mount Albert Road, in Mount Roskill, was formerly a working fire station designed almost a century ago by renowned Arts and Crafts architect Arthur Palmer.
It was converted into a smart four-bedroom family home in the last decade, after it was decommissioned as a fire station and fell into disrepair.
The house, which has a 2021 CV of $2.4 million, is now for sale by way of tender, closing on April 18.
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While creative church conversions are commonplace these days, the complete reimagining of a fire station is a much rarer entity.
The Marshall family - Nigel, Bev, their adult son Jolon and his partner Rebecca - are proud of the architectural magic they’ve achieved, treating the former home of the Mount Roskill Fire Brigade to a spectacular overhaul.
“It wasn’t for the faint-hearted,” says Nigel. “The station had been closed for several years after the brigade moved to Onehunga, with squatters along the way leaving loads of graffiti and a leaking roof.”
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The Marshalls were thrilled to find the original plans drawn up by Palmer quite early on and found them hugely helpful when bringing the building back to life.
“It was a real family affair,” says Nigel. "Jolon and I did the more physical stuff, Bev and Rebecca designed the interiors and Rebecca developed the garden.”
Where the fire engines once parked is now a huge double garage with two offices to the side. The original firemen’s poles were removed - New Zealand-wide - on account of too many sprained ankles, and a replacement has been installed.
Jolon and Rebecca and, eventually, their two little boys, lived for a number of years on the ground floor in what was the station master’s married quarters.
The interiors are influenced by the building's past life. Photo / Supplied
The owners took inspiration from the original architect's plans for the station. Photo / Supplied
It’s imbued with art deco charm in the form of two stunning tiled bathrooms and a country-style kitchen, two cosy bedrooms and an attractive lounge.
“Although it wasn’t habitable in 2011, it was still a sturdy structure built of reinforced double brick, with a solid plaster finish,” says Nigel.
Keeping true to the original décor, fibrous plaster ceilings were reinstated, plaster walls with art deco detailing were repaired and the old oak doors and timber floors were rejuvenated.
This part of the property opens to the charming garden, with a sheltered summer house, which enjoys views to Big King. Rebecca put her green thumb to planting flowers and fruit trees along terraces she created in the volcanic soil.
Back inside, a circular staircase in gleaming polished mahogany leads to the living level above the station itself.
It’s an enormous open-plan area with several cleverly arranged living and entertainment zones and a dining space – plus another timber, 1930s style kitchen and a cute purple bathroom.
One of the bathrooms is a cute purple hue. Photo / Supplied
There is parking space for the car and the fire truck. Photo / Supplied
The overall sense is of rooms within rooms – yet there are no walls and, as is the case with the rest of the property, a new owner can buy much of the furniture, by negotiation, should they wish to preserve the property’s unique personality.
Meanwhile, up a final flight of stairs is a vast, mezzanine sleeping area which currently houses two beds in an open loft style. Former firemen who dropped in during the restoration, and shared memories with the family said that up to six men would sleep upstairs, while they were on duty.
The property is practically perfect, but it has further potential. As well as two individual titles for the fire station, there is also resource consent for a four-bedroom home in the same architectural style to be built on the current carpark. That’s where Flick, the 1966 Bedford Fire Truck, currently stands and he’s for sale too, says Nigel.
Listing agent Annabel Marshall (no relation), from Bayleys Ponsonby, said her father sold the property to the family in 2011, so it seems fitting that she’s marketing it now.
“This is a once-in-a-career highlight for me, and the options are endless. Weddings, bed and breakfast, extended family living – it’s all possible here!”
Nigel says potential buyers enjoying exclusive viewings with Annabel will be encouraged to make a donation to the Auckland West Volunteer Fire Brigades and the Fire Service Historical Society.
- Tenders for 504 Mount Albert Road, in Mt Roskill, Auckland, close on April 18.
