Tauranga June 2013

Mt Roskill sites offer rare chance

Mt Roskill sites offer rare chance By Colin Taylor 5:30 AM Wednesday Jun 19, 2013 Properties in this busy centre are certain to attract keen interest. The property at 1001 Dominion Rd, which houses the Yong Fa restaurant, provides an annual rental income of $51,878. Expand The property at 1001 Dominion Rd, which houses the Yong Fa restaurant, provides an annual rental income of $51,878. Two retail properties in the heart of the Mt Roskill shopping strip at the top of Dominion Rd are for auction, with one of them, at 1252 Dominion Rd, vacated by the Westpac Bank. The other, a fully leased property at 1001 Dominion Rd, on the corner of Dominion Rd and Mt Albert Rd, is being marketed by Tony Chaudhary and Janak Darji of Bayleys Manukau in conjunction with Quinn Ngo of Bayleys Auckland. The two Dominion Rd properties will be among 20 to be auctioned on June 26 as part of Bayleys' Total Property portfolio. The property at 1001 Dominion Rd is a high-profile 1950s standalone building that houses the popular Yong Fa Chinese restaurant, which exercised a four-year right of renewal in December last year, plus a travel agency which renewed its lease for two years last August. Chaudhary says the property provides a passive investment for someone looking for a well-located opportunity in an affordable price bracket. It has a letting area of 138sq m and produces an annual rental income of $51,878. "Its location on two main arterial routes, Dominion Rd and Mt Albert Rd, gives the Chinese restaurant very good exposure to passing vehicle and foot traffic and the business also benefits from the large surrounding residential area, plus clientele from other established businesses nearby," Chaudhary says. The building has a council carpark at the rear and has been well maintained. It sits on a 225sq m freehold site in two titles. At 1252 Dominion Rd, the single-level former Westpac Bank premises was generating $68,485 a year rent. "This represents an opportunity for an owner-occupier or for someone who is looking for an add-value property," says Chaudhary, who is marketing this property with Janak Darji and Paul Dixon of Bayleys Auckland. The 290sq m well-presented building, which comes with high quality meeting room and office partitioning, plus a strongroom, could potentially have another storey added because its business 2 zoning allows a maximum height of 12.5m and business or residential use. Under the proposed Draft Auckland Unitary Plan, however, the property would be within a Local Centre zone where the height limit would rise to 16.5m, not taking into account height-to-boundary lines. "It could be possible under both zonings to put apartments or office space on top of this building, which has a site size of 390sq m, although the building itself takes up the whole land area," says Chaudhary. "A new owner could redevelop and revive the existing building with a new tenant or possibly divide it into two tenancies." The Mt Roskill shopping precinct has attracted some well-known service-based businesses in recent years, including many of the major banks and national businesses such as the TAB, Civic Video and Burger King. "There's never much vacant space in the Mt Roskill shopping area and it is well serviced by ample street and council car parking," says Chaudhary. "I only know of one other vacant retail space in the heart of the strip and it's another bank building." What's on offer For sale: Two Mt Roskill retail outlets Address: 1001 and 1252 Dominion Rd Agency: Bayleys Manukau and Auckland Sales method: Auction Wednesday, June 26 Features: Passive investment and add-value potential http://www.nzherald.co.nz/commercial-property/news/article.cfm?c_id=28&objectid=10891424

11 Alexis Avenue

Mt Albert: Family values By Catherine Smith 5:00 AM Saturday Nov 26, 2005 ✩Save Like on Facebook 0 Post on LinkedIn 0 +1 on Google+ 0 Pin on Pinterest 0 A Mt Albert home has grown with its family of 25 years. 11 Alexis Avenue, Mount Albert. Mount Albert’s Golden Triangle is a haven of tree-lined streets and classic 1920s and 30s Californian bungalows. Where other neighbourhoods have faced cycles of gentle rundown followed by frantic re-gentrification, this is a rare corner of Auckland that has remained gracious. One almost expects to see vintage cars and ladies in hats and gloves parading its streets. Marie and Geoff Dale’s restored bungalow may not boast the ladies in hats, but it does feature a vintage car in the garage. And when Geoff bought the house nearly 25 years ago, it still boasted a few too many other original features, like a loo on the back porch and one tiny bench in the old kitchen. "We had two toddlers and a new baby at that stage," says Marie. "I wouldn’t move in until Geoff promised to do the kitchen right away." Over time the couple added to their family - they have five children - and restored the house to its classic glory. The Dales had been drawn to the history of the house - they were only the third family to live there and planned to put down roots where their children could grow up with plenty of room, as the two earlier families had done. It reminded Geoff of the lovely old houses he’d grown up in around Remuera, where families all knew each other. The couple painstakingly sanded back architraves to their original woodwork, installed a period-style kitchen of tawa and recycled kauri and modernised the bathroom. Beautiful features remained - a wide welcoming front porch and hallway, big square bay windows in the living room and master bedroom, lead-light window glass, a bevelled glass front door. To the formal entry porch and living room at the front of the house, the Dales added more informal living and, at the back, afternoon decks. The family-sized kitchen has a new cooker and hood added only last year, and the dining space, which is warmed by a fire in winter, is a welcoming central gathering place for their extended family and friends. It opens through the back French doors to the deck for summer barbecues. Another fire is the cosy focal point of the formal lounge. The enviable wide flat front lawn features a huge mature tree, fruiting plums and feijoas and is a kid’s dream yard: plenty of room for the cricket and tennis games (miraculously, the leadlights have survived the odd ball) and bike riding.. As the kids grew to more space-hungry teens, Geoff and Marie added a second bathroom, a guest room and restored an existing basement storeroom to a large teen bedroom/games space. Geoff and Marie run their photography and gift card business from a pretty sun-room office opening off the formal lounge. With all but two of their kids now flown the nest, it is time for Geoff and Marie to downsize to a smaller house, freeing up their much admired classic home for its next family’s 20-year stay. Vital Statistics BEDROOMS: 4 BATHROOMS: 2 GARAGE: 1+ SIZE: Land 696sq m, house 160sq m. PRICE INDICATION: CV $465,000. Interest expected in excess of $800,000. Auction November 30. INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-2.45pm. CONTACT: Anne Duncan, Anne Duncan Real Estate, ph 846 9470, 021 996 426 , or Greg Whitta, ph 021 992 612 . FEATURES: 1920s bungalow over two levels, with mature garden. Two living spaces opening on to porches. Ground floor storage and plenty of off street parking. Zoned for Gladstone Primary School. Within a stone’s throw of Ferndale Kindergarten, also walking distance to Mt Albert Grammar School, Marist College and Marist Primary School. By Catherine Smith http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=10357009

"The Rocks" - 707 New North Road

"The Rocks" - 707 New North Road The house at this address, in its original form, a 5 roomed cottage, was built by James Arthur Penman in 1886, soon after his purchase of 2 ½ acres of rock-strewn land and in anticipation of his marriage. Mr. Penman had been born in 1865 in Albertland, and brought up mainly at Te Arai in North Auckland. After his father’s death in a sawmill accident in 1879, his mother came to Auckland with her two sons, where James found employment as a builder’s apprentice. James married Maria Ross in April 1887. Not long after the wedding, they were visited at their Mt. Albert house by Maria’s father, who looked with dismay at all the boulders on the property. Subsequent to the visit, he wrote a letter to the couple, and addressed it to them, simply, at “The Rocks”, Mt Albert. The letter got through and the house has carried that name ever since. At that time, New North Road turned down what is now the entry drive to “The Rocks”, in order to avoid a large outcrop of volcanic rock in front of St Lukes Anglican Church. It was not long afterwards that the road was straightened and James acquired the ‘front paddock’, enlarging his property by an acre. Rocks were cleared and used to build rock walls surrounding the property and a grass tennis court was constructed on the expansive front lawn. James and Maria had 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters, who were all born at “The Rocks”. One son died in infancy and another was killed at Gallipoli. To accommodate his growing family, James enlarged and altered the house substantially in 1903, converting it into a classic villa. The original verandah was replaced by an extension forward of a bedroom, which was given a large bay window. A new verandah was constructed in front of the original bay window (which is still there) with a return verandah down the side of the house to a new extension. Being a builder by trade, he undertook the design and building work himself. Later, James worked in partnership with his son Ross under the name: ‘J. A. Penman and Son’. James and Ross were sincere Christians by conviction, and built many churches, houses and other buildings from their base in workshops on the property. After Maria’s death in 1917, Mr. Penman continued to live at “The Rocks”, cared for by his daughter May. She married Roy Thompson in 1926 and that event prompted a further extension to the house in the northwest corner. Then in 1937 the side part of the verandah was enclosed. That was necessary because as well as having their own 4 children, they had offered to 'foster' the 2 sons of friends while those friends were on missionary service in India. James continued to be cared for at home until his death in 1955. Over the years, various parts of the land around James’ original 3 ½ acres were subdivided and sold or transferred to members of James’ family, so that the house is now surrounded by other dwellings. From May and Roy Thompson, ownership of “The Rocks” itself passed on to their daughter Gwen and her husband, Dr. Raymond Windsor. In 1981, the house was purchased by their eldest son, Dr John Windsor and his wife Christine. John, Christine and their 5 children are the current occupiers. Over the 124 years since 1886, “The Rocks” has been home to 5 generations of the one family. About 1976, when the house was being repainted, the original decorative trim below the verandah roof was removed. However, that action was later regretted and in 1986, to mark the house’s centennial, new decorative trim was put in place. It is however, not of the original design. During their ownership John and Christine have undertaken a major renovation of the house, with new roof, foundations, lining and wiring. They extended the house in 2 directions but have taken great care to retain the character and appearance of the house. The mature trees which surround the house, some of them originals, add dignity to this family home. Arnold R. Turner May 2010 http://mtalberthistoricalsociety.org.nz/The_Rocks.php

1 Ethel Street

1 Ethel Street I draw to your attention that we have added a Mt Albert Heritage Listing page We hope to provide further information to you for each listing over a period of time. There were three categories of listings, A B and C, when handed over to Auckland City on amalgamation in 1989. Auckland City promptly dropped any C listings. It is one of these C listed buildings that is the subject of this article. In 1851 Elihu Shaw paid Thomas Holmes £42 for Allotment 153. In 1855 Shaw sold just over 5 (five) acres of it to James Gribble. The portion sold to James Gribble was sold again by him to John Matthews, a customs officer in 1860 for£87. Matthews sold the property to confectioner Alfred Herbert in 1869 for £270. This large increase in value would seem to indicate a building had been erected on the site, further confirmed by the notation on the deeds “along with all the buildings thereon” of the next owner from 1876, John Nichol Crombie. Our assumption is that Matthews was an occupying ratepayer in the initial years of the Mt Albert Highway District built and lived on Allotment 153. This dates the house at 1 Ethel Street from between 1860 and 1869. Certainly some of the features of the house could reflect architectural features of the 1860s. In 1889 Allotment 153 was sold to Mary Ann Taylor who had the property surveyed in 1909 (see photo 4806 above) Photo 4879 above shows the 1910 plan for subdivision showing the house in place on lot 5 as it still is today. (Note also the stable which has become part of lot 6.) It is sad to see the deterioration of one of the few 1860s farmhouses we have left in Mt Albert. It’s not “fancy’’ or ‘’high class’’ but it reflects a part of our Mount Albert architectural history of which we have next to nothing left compared to other pioneer suburbs. In February 2009 I supplied historical data to Auckland City requesting that it be reconsidered for heritage protection. In nearly three years nothing has been done. Have they put it in the too hard basket or are they hoping it will be demolished before they are required to take the matter further? Do you know of any other C listings of the Mt Albert City Council, at as changeover to Auckland City in 1989, that still survive? Are you aware that you do not need to be the owner of a property to apply for Heritage listing of it? You simply download the form from Auckland City website. BUT you must be prepared to supply historical research as to why it should be added to the heritage list. Mary Inomata December 2011 http://mtalberthistoricalsociety.org.nz/Ethel_St.php

The First Mt Albert Primary School

The First Mt Albert Primary School Our first Mt Albert primary school opened its doors in 1870 as a result of the Common Schools Act to remove education from church responsibility. Mr McElwain presented 1 acre to the Auckland Education Board from his farmland between Kingsland and Morningside. The Mt Albert school roll of 1879 classes one and two, mention very familiar names in Mt Albert- Sadgrove, Woodward, Garlick, Kelly, Walters, McGeehan, McDonald, McBride – the list goes on. The first wooden school building was erected by local residents at their expense on the site. In 1880, this first building was removed, and replaced by a two-roomed wooden building. The school roll grew rapidly and the building underwent a number of additions and remodelling over the years. From 1903 – 1906 attendance grew from 248 to 323 on average with 5 teachers who in fact had to share classrooms. This was an unsatisfactory state of affairs and in 1912 the addition of two classrooms were made to accommodate sixty pupils, though the Chief Inspector noted that “I do not think the accommodation thus provided will be able to meet the rapidly growing needs of this suburban district” The school was remodelled again in the 1920s but a request for a rebuild denied , as it was pointed out that the Auckland Education Board owned another site on the corner of Mountain Rd(now Kitenui Ave) and Alexandra Ave (now Alexis Ave) and it was considered better to build there than add to the present site. The school was however never built on that site as by 1936 the Education Board was looking at the site occupied by the Morningside Quarries (commonly referred to as Wilson’s Quarry) on Salisbury Rd ( now Sainsbury). Tenders were finally put out for the building work in 1939 and the Mt Albert School was relocated to Sainsbury Road in 1940. The Auckland Education Board held onto the School Rd property until 1954. It leased the building to the RSA for 21 years . The crown split the building from the rest of the site in subdivision and the reserve was vested in the council. It is still crown property under the Ministry of Maori Development. The school these days is in a disgraceful state . Neglected and unloved and yet such an integral part of the history of our suburb Mt Albert. It would make such a wonderful community building for Mt Albert of which we are sorely in need and some questions need to be asked. http://mtalberthistoricalsociety.org.nz/Mt_Albert_Primary.php