An Auckland mansion that was transformed into a modern masterpiece by one of New Zealand's top architects has sold for more than $10 million.
The five-bedroom house on Victoria Avenue, in Remuera, was bought by a returning expat.
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Gavin Pollard, who brokered the deal for architect's Noel Lane's home with colleague Lesley McLellan, said the tender price was confidential, but could confirm it was over $10m.
McLellan added: “We had three offers. The architecture created a lot of conversations, people were captivated by what Noel had done with the Arts and Crafts home. People came to experience the art that he had created, it was lovely to see.”
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She said that nearly 30 groups of buyers with budgets in the vicinity of the $9m CV looked at the house.
“It really pulled in the buyers. Noel was so lyrical in his language, it made people understand how architects work.”
There is a seamless flow between indoors and out in the modernised Arts and Crafts home. Photo / Supplied
Lane had earlier told OneRoof that the house was one of a group of three properties designed for a family group by renowned Arts and Crafts architect Gerald Jones just prior to the 1920s and had private gates leading from one to another.
Known for testing boundaries and overturning traditional norms, Lane inserted cutting edge modern style into the Arts and Crafts home he and his wife bought in the mid-1990s.
OneRoof figures show the house last changed hands in 1996 for $1.175m.
Lane's challenge lay in conserving aspects of historically important house, without making major changes to the original footprint.
“The home is solid and well-constructed, so we kept as much as was practical and made a minimum of adjustments,” he said.
While he extended parts of the house with modern elements, such as moving the kitchen to the sunny side of the house and opening the house to the garden, he used materials such as embossed wallpaper, and Pirelli rubber flooring to mark where some of the walls had been demolished.
Noel Lane’s design has allowed new spaces to exist comfortably beside the original – more traditional – elements. Photo / Supplied
The three-story house has two staircases that allow the home to operate in a circular way. The renovation included a modern conservatory, a self-contained flat and extensive garaging, a living and billiards rooms on the home’s lower level.
“Everything Noel’s done has been beautifully delineated. And the restful, zen-style garden really contributes to its appeal,” McLennan said.
Lane and his wife’s now adult boys are leaving, so the couple sold to move on to another challenge.
The house in Victoria Avenue in Remuera, Auckland, has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and parking for three to four cars. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen was re-positioned from its original south-facing to face the sun in the north. Photo / Supplied
The sale comes a month after another Kiwi returning from overseas, paid the $12.38m for the former convent estate of the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny further up Victoria Avenue.
That sale, brokered by agent Michael Boulgaris, reaped the vendor a $1.55m profit in 16 months.
The buyer, made a cash offer for the property and intends to build a luxurious family home on the site.
“It was one of those overseas buyers that everyone hopes for, who flies in and writes a big cheque,” Boulgaris said. He sold another Victoria Avenue house, a near new five bedroom property, to returning expats in March this year for $11m.
The sale comes after another ex-pat buyer paid $12.38m for the former convent estate on Victoria Avenue to build a new family home. Photo / Supplied
However, these prices are a ways away from the Remuera suburb record of $29m set in December last year for a Remuera Road mansion, making it New Zealand’s third most expensive home.
The 979sqm house, which had a CV of $27m, sits on a 4188sqm section away from the road. OneRoof records show it was built in 2000 and had been in the hands of the same owner for just under 20 years.
The $29m price beats the earlier Remuera record of $26m, set in 2017, for a mansion on Remuera Road that was owned by property developers Simon and Paula Herbert.
- Additional reporting Louise Richardson
