Celebrated fire station selling as hot property

Williamson Cafe's bar area. Photo / Supplied

The historic and well-known former Ponsonby Fire Station at 1 Williamson Ave, Ponsonby, which has had a number of commercial and residential uses over the years - including originally housing the area's local fire station and council chambers in the late 1800s - is now for sale.

Currently leased to a popular cafe and bar called The Williamson, the distinctive building is sited on a prominent island section at the junction of Williamson Ave, Rose Rd and Pollen St, about 100m from Ponsonby Rd.

The property is being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate senior sales consultant Nigel McNeill and is for sale by tender, closing March 25.

"This is an excellent opportunity for an investor to purchase a high-profile, tenanted, well-preserved heritage building in the fashionable Ponsonby area," says McNeill. "The building is possibly under-rented and there is a rent review every two years with the next review due in May this year.

"The tenants have a six-year lease term at $39,000 plus GST per annum, which began in 2006, and have one right of renewal of six years, making the final lease expiry 2018."

The iconic, ornate, two-storey building was built in 1889 to house the Ponsonby fire station and council chambers serving the Grey Lynn area. It originally featured a ground-floor fire engine room, first-floor town clerk's office, the council chamber, an external staircase and the fire bell tower. It was extended and altered in 1917 and 1926 with additions including the construction of single-storey brick-built extension.

Over the years, the building has had numerous commercial and residential uses including as a bakery, residential flats, retail shops and a variety of restaurants and cafes.

"In more recent times, the original features of the building have been carefully restored," McNeill says.

"Currently, the main cafe area is located in the former fire engine room with a concrete floor, painted and plastered perimeter masonry walls, timber panel partition walls, exposed ceiling beams and double bi-fold timber doors."

To the rear of the cafe are amenities like storeroom and toilets. Within the single-storey extension is a fully fitted commercial kitchen with concrete floor and plasterboard ceiling.

McNeill says the majority of the fixtures and fittings within the building belong to the landlord.

The first floor is accessed by the original external staircase and by an internal staircase. The former council chamber is currently used as a function room, with the town clerk's room fitted out as a bar.

The cafe area is about 40sq m, the amenities area is 58sq m, the first floor 65sq m and the deck 24 sq m, totalling around 187sq m.

According to McNeill, much of the original fit-out has been carefully restored - including polished timber floorboards, timber panel walls, vaulted ceilings, ornate fireplaces and timber frame sash windows.

From the upstairs bar there is access to a timber deck above the ground-floor kitchen, with a brick parapet and timber flagpole.

The premises are classified as a Heritage B building and Category 2 by the New Zealand Historical Places Trust.