When Alison Ellison married her architect husband Don in 1971, she didn’t realise she was also embarking on a change of career.
The school dental nurse was about to ‘start an apprenticeship’ working with her husband to restore and renovate Dilworth Terrace, a landmark row of eight terrace homes in the Auckland suburb of Parnell.
When Don first saw Dilworth Terrace’s then-decrepit dwellings in 1965, it was not love at first sight. “What a depressing dump!” he commented at the time.
The terraces were originally sought-after homes for Auckland’s well-to-do, but after World War II they became run-down, overcrowded and notorious. It’s believed some 300 people were crammed into the terrace at that time.
Start your property search
But Don saw beyond the history and noted that despite it not being painted for more than 50 years “it was a magnificent building with hardly a crack”.
In the face of a threatened demolition order by the city council, he acquired the leasehold interest and set about turning the terrace into 28 renovated apartments, providing an income for the restoration back to charming private homes that was to come.
With the original architect Thomas Mahoney’s original plans to work with, he had an invaluable reference.
Homeowner Alison Ellison says: “I am still in awe of the architecture of the building – everything about it is charming. It’s quiet, private and there’s no feeling of living cheek-by-jowl with the neighbours”. Photo / Supplied
Don, who died three years ago, made the terrace his life’s work, restoring it as closely as possible to the original but with modern-day facilities.
The Ellison’s home at 8 Dilworth Terrace in Parnell is now on the market for sale by auction on March 15. It has a 2021 RV of $4.6 million and, according to OneRoof records.
“What a wonderful home it’s been for so many years,” Alison says.
“I am still in awe of the architecture of the building – everything about it is charming. It’s quiet, private and there’s no feeling of living cheek-by-jowl with the neighbours. Owners have done what they wanted with their homes but the rule is that the exterior must remain the same.”
Alison has been living alone in Number 8 for three years now and concedes that it’s too big for her, and it’s time to move to a smaller townhouse which she can do some work to.
Outside there is ample room for entertaining with a paved courtyard that easily accommodates an eight-seater dining setting, and a flat lawn edged with clipped hedges and topiaries. Photo / Supplied
With four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a guest toilet, one internal and two additional garages, 8 Dilworth Terrace is a spacious, elegant home. Photo / Supplied
But her work at Number 8 is done. With four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a guest toilet, one internal and two additional garages, this is a spacious, elegant home.
The generous kitchen has stainless steel benches and modern appliances, and the dining and sitting areas feature decorative arches, timber flooring, bay windows, open fireplaces and city and harbour views.
Outside there is ample room for entertaining with a paved courtyard that easily accommodates an eight-seater dining setting, and a flat lawn edged with clipped hedges and topiaries.
Alison isn’t the only woman with a long term attachment to Dilworth Terrace.
Barfoot & Thompson listing agent Linda Galbraith admits she’s been having a love affair with this property since she was 12 years old.
“Even at that age I knew I was going to own one of these homes one day, and I was 49 when I bought Number 4. The best thing about them is that they can take any aesthetic because the architecture is so wonderful,” she says.
