A Tardis-like house designed by one of New Zealand’s most colourful architects has been put on the market for sale, with the hope that a new owner will restore it to its former glory. The award-winning “Wong House”, tucked away in Auckland’s Remuera, was created by Claude Megson more than 60 years ago and it is one of the few surviving examples of the late architect’s work.
Megson, dubbed the Frank Lloyd Wright of New Zealand architecture, as much for his forceful personality as for his ground-breaking designs, won a New Zealand Institute of Architecture Bronze Medal in 1969 for the home’s space-defying design.
Bill McKay, senior lecturer at Auckland University's School of Architecture and Planning, and a student under Megson during the 1980s, said: “Megson didn't design a lot of houses but the ones he did design are gems.
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“He was a maverick and pioneered a post-modernist style in New Zealand, focusing on the possibilities of what a house could be. In that respect he was much like America's Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the leading lights in architecture circles.
“The Wong House, I think, is one of his best. It's a bit like the Tardis when you first approach it.”
The entrance to the house, at the end of a long driveway off Warrington Road, disguises the sheer size of the house on the other side. “The house opens up as it cascades down the slopes of Mt Hobson in a series of complex interlocking cubes - with the rooms, decks and terraces spread over multiple levels,” he said.
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“There is a living area for winter that is snug and cave-like and one for the summer that can be opened up to let in the sun and fresh air.
"The house has also several double-height spaces, from which you can look up and see stairs to a bedroom or balconies looking over the space. Fantastic, yet very intricate.”
The property, which offers 500sq m of floor space on 1095sq m of land, has five bedrooms, four living areas, two bathrooms and double internal garaging, and has an RV of $3,125,000.
Owners Lesley and Michael Fischer said that the house had been a wonderful family home but that it had lost some of its original sheen since they had bought it almost 30 years ago. They hope that someone with an appreciation for Megson’s style will buy it and bring it back to life.
Their daughter, Beks Sorrell, told OneRoof: “I was at university when my parents bought the house and I was blown away when I first saw it. Initially, I didn't know who Megson was, but once I learned more about him I started to notice and appreciate the architecture of the house.”
She said that the layout of the house had suited their needs in more ways than one. “We were a family of seven - mum, dad and five kids - so the fact the house had a lot of space was great because we each could escape to our own separate area.”
She added: “People still come up to me and ask me about it - 'Does your mum and dad still own it?' I think whoever ends up buying the house will have a great time living here.”
Listing agents Cheryl Whiting and Holly Cassidy, from Ray White Epsom, said that even though the house was in need of a refresh, its main selling point was its unique design. "I think the person who takes this on will have a house that is in a great location but is unlike any other," Whiting said.
"We haven't marketed a house like this before," Cassidy added. "It's enjoyable just to see the wonder on people's faces when they walk through it. And the fact that the architect was quite a character makes it all the more fun when talking about its history."
McKay said Megson was highly charismatic but he was someone who you either loved or hated, and his personality often led to some odd interactions with the people who bought the houses he designed. "It's said that if you had Megson as your architect, you had him for life," he said.
"There are stories of him turning up at his homes unannounced to show prospective clients around, or popping round to one while the owners were away on holiday in order to bring it more into line with what he thought it should be - for example, shuffling around the furniture or changing the garden.”
Asked what Megson would likely do to the house if he were still alive today, McKay said: "Megson died relatively young, at the age of 57, from cancer, but it's unlikely he would have changed his beliefs or his approach to architecture had he lived. He certainly wouldn't have allowed owners to change the house - he would have kept it on a tight leash.”
The house has a set sale date of July 27.
