An Auckland mansion once owned by legendary Kiwi entrepreneur Harry M Miller has hit the market for sale.
Miller, who grew up in Grey Lynn and died in Australia in 2018 aged 84, made a name for himself in the 1950s managing the Howard Morrison Quartet but it wasn’t long before he truly hit the big-time, when he brought to Australia and New Zealand some of the world’s hottest acts, including the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and Judy Garland.
During that time, he had as his New Zealand base a four-bedroom home on Victoria Avenue, in Remuera.
Neighbours told OneRoof a host of famous names paying visits to Miller at his home.
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One local who grew up next door remembered Roy Orbison and the Beach Boys stayed at the property.
“I can remember Roy playing his guitar on the driveway for us and I helped Harry’s wife at the time prepare orange juice and snacks for the Beach Boys,” the neighbour told OneRoof.
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“Unfortunately, my mother drew the line when Harry offered to take me to meet the Beatles at his office, because she didn’t trust their long hair!”
Orbison, the Beach Boys and the Beatles all played in Auckland in 1964, causing quite a stir among the city’s teenagers.
The current owners of 100 Victoria Avenue told OneRoof that there was one other owner between Miller and themselves, but some of Miller’s decorating touches can still be seen.
Roy Orbison once played his guitar in the driveway of 100 Victoria Avenue. Photo / Getty Images
Harry M Miller and his wife Simmone Logue in 2006. Photo / Getty Images
They said that some of the outside lights reportedly came from the home of actor Cary Grant in the United States and were brought over by Miller.
The couple, Brice and Wendy, bought the three-storey house 40 years ago and are taking it to auction on November 29 with Ray White Remuera agents Steve and Nila Koerber.
They said the sheer size of the house – it’s 494sqm in size and sits on a 1251sqm section – was what attracted them to it in the first place.
“We had two boys, but they left home 23 years ago, and since then we’ve enjoyed having all this space, to ourselves,” Bruce said.
The classic 1930s house has an outdoor pool. Photo / Supplied
The house was built in the 1930s and enjoys high ceilings, a stucco finish and elegant curves and lines which was the design style of that era.
Fittingly, it has a comfortable media room, an enormous games room and an outdoor pool.
Steve Koerber told OneRoof that the property offered buyers a rare opportunity to buy on the popular Remuera ridge. The land is zoned single house and the property has a 2021 CV of $7.2 million.
100 Victoria Avenue is not the only Remuera property to have a high-profile connection to rock ‘n’ roll legends. A mansion on nearby St Vincent Avenue memorably hosted Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in 2006 after he underwent life-saving brain surgery in Auckland.
Richards spent a month recuperating in the multi-million-dollar Cotter House, which was then run as an upmarket retreat. He later described his time at the house as a “great break” from his hectic touring schedule.
The house sold in 2021 for $8m after undergoing a very expensive makeover.
And in 2014, the former girlfriend of Beatle John Lennon sold her St Marys Bay home for $1.85m.
- 100 Victoria Avenue, in Remuera, Auckland, goes to auction on November 29
