Onehunga: Blackie's secret passion

He's entertained Auckland radio listeners with his stories for nearly 40 years, but there's one tale Kevin Black keeps for privileged visitors to his historic Onehunga home.

35 Grey Street, Onehunga.

There's something not many people know about radio DJ Kevin Black, that seems at odds with his rollicking devil-may-care reputation.

He is passionate about historic houses. He's lived in and renovated two of them, and learned everything there is to know about how they were built and who has lived in them.

The first was a former sea-captain's home in St Mary's Bay. An arts and crafts masterpiece by Joe Lloyd, it had shingles on the outside, parquet floors, and turn of the century stained glass windows.

The second is this rarely seen example of gothic revival architecture, built between 1879 and 1882. Twelve years ago Kevin poked his head over the fence to sneak a look, thought, "Man, this is nice", raced home to get his wife Kristin to come and see it too, and the couple bought it that night.

Seven years ago Kevin and Kristin's daughter Kandace made the house a family home.

"It was originally built by Charles Colville Fleming, who became mayor of Onehunga in 1888," begins Kevin. "Him and his two brothers were millers and merchants in Onehunga, which was an even more important port then than it is today because most trade was done between here and New South Wales."

Fleming, of Scottish descent, perhaps chose to build his home in the gothic revival style as a reminder of home, where the sharply peaked roofs prevented snow from lying in too thick a layer.

He also imported a marble fire surround from Aberdeen for the formal lounge.

"Light a fire in here on Saturday, and this marble is still warm on Tuesday. It holds the heat incredibly well. The same can be said for the pressed tin ceilings. It's a big house, but it's very warm. There are five fireplaces in it, four still working, including the wood stove in the kitchen."

Kevin bounds outside and in showing us the brilliant aspects of the house's construction. "Foot thick" scoria blocks brace each corner, and between the walls' concrete blocks are kauri "floats" or planks, that aid its stability. He opens a cupboard under the stairs to show us a wall he has kept exposed so future owners can appreciate this ingenunity. At your feet is the floorboards' original oilcloth covering. Behind you is a window bearing a fleur-de-lis and the date 1882 - this and many other windows in the house have miraculously survived 123 years of being open, shut, knocked and having balls sail past them.

"The inside of the house is all pit sawn kauri - no matter how much we tried to sand it it was still rough, so we left it like that. We restored the doors with the intention of putting the nicest ones near the front, but found each one fitted only the door frame it was made for."

The exterior is roughcast concrete, which in historic photos was left its natural grey.

"Painting concrete is quite a recent thing to do," says Kevin.

He repaired the verandah roof, but kept it at its original height when he realised that it had been perfectly measured to provide shade in summer, but let sunshine right into the house during winter.

"I even had a carpenter replace the 'bastard join' at the corner. It's called that because it's a bastard to do, but it keeps the roof from coming off in a strong wind."

He retained the Florida room at one end of the north facing verandah - a glassed-in alcove that butts into the prevailing wind. It can be opened up when it's hot, but provides sunny shelter on windy or rainy days - a perfect design solution for Auckland's climate.

The wide verandah, and the formal dining room that opens onto it, have hosted dinner parties for Governor George Grey in the 19th century, and for up to 40 of Kevin's music industry mates up until quite recently.

Male guests then and now have enjoyed retiring to the "den" - a room with a Kauri fireplace, leather couches, a TV and a wall full of Kevin's radio awards.

Upstairs the hallway is almost as wide as the one downstairs. At one end it steps down to a large stained glass window that opens fully.

"The Flemings sold the house to the Onehunga Borough Council in 1937, which used it as a boys' home during the war. We think there were up to 12 boys living here at one time, and that might have been a fire escape."

After the war it was sold to succession of owners, including a chemist who ran a weekend dispensary off the verandah.

The gracious garden outside is what's left of the original 1.2ha site. It used to contain an orchard, and there is still a walnut and two macadamia nut trees. Kevin restored the summer house and turned it into his bloke's shed.

The house is opposite the lovely Jellicoe Park, which was originally called Green Park and still contains historic buildings from the days when the fencible army was stationed there.

Kevin is sad to be leaving all this history behind, but the family wants to divide its time between a townhouse in the city and a beach house somewhere yet to be discovered.

Wherever that may be, Kevin is bound to find out the history of the area.

"I'm a fifth generation Kiwi," he explains, "and I think it's a shame we do so much vandalism to our heritage. The Government will only preserve so much, so it's up to individual New Zealanders to save the rest for our children to appreciate and enjoy."

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 1467sq m, house 295sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above $1.2 million. Expressions of interest close July 4.

INSPECT: Phone for viewing times.

CONTACT: Gilly Mirkin, Remax Platinum, ph 021 980 631.

FEATURES: 123-year-old gothic revival home in park like grounds, and opposite Jellicoe Park. Five fireplaces (four working). Family dining, formal dining, formal lounge, den, Florida room. Summer house currently used as a shed.