Parnell: Lady in waiting

Estelle Sarney discovers a home designed by one of early Auckland's best known architects, waiting to be restored to its former glory.

109 St Stephens Avenue, Parnell.

Every Aucklander knows the Smith & Caughey building in Queen Street; most of us have seen the clocktower atop the University of Auckland's old arts building; but fewer people know that the architect responsible for both these icons also designed houses.

Now one of the homes from the hand of Roy Alstan Lippincott is for sale, for only the second time since it was built in 1929. Commissioned by the famous Paykel family for one of its daughters, Bronette Paykel, it was built with imported Lebanese cedar in keeping with the family's Jewish faith.

It was first sold in 1969 to Betty Allman-Marchant, who lived there with her daughter, Marie Elise, until her death four years ago. Marie Elise stayed on until her death last year. Marie Elise's cousin, Ross Stevenson, is now helping to sell it on behalf of the family estate.

"I remember visiting here for sumptuous dinner parties put on by my Aunt and cousin," says Ross. "They knew how to be part of Parnell society and loved to entertain."

Although the rooms are empty now, you can imagine the grandeur they are capable of. There are two huge reception rooms just inside the front entrance - on the right a lounge, with a large open fire, that opens out to a north-facing terrace; on the left, a dining room with a serving hatch from the kitchen next door.

Cosmetically the house is showing its age and is crying out for a major spruce up, but its structure still shows the elegant touch of its American architect.

An employee of the world-renowned Frank Lloyd Wright, Lippincott oversaw the construction of one of Wright's Prairie houses in Chicago. He later moved to Australia to work with Wright's colleague on the design of the city of Canberra, and in 1921 came to New Zealand, where he remained until 1939. He had adopted Wright's attention to detail, designing not only the exterior of a building, but every aspect of its interior as well, down to decorative motifs on windows and stairwells.

In this house, leadlight windows halfway up the staircase, framed by an archway at its foot, are one of Lippincott's signatures. Their art deco design is repeated in miniature in a bathroom, with the glass cleverly tilted to aid ventilation as well as aesthetics.

He was generous with his use of light and space - upstairs are two enormous bedrooms, which could easily be made into three. They face north, opening out to a narrow terrace from which a peep of the harbour can be seen through the tops of trees and buildings.

"I've seen a photo from this house's early days when there were hardly any other homes around it, and you could see straight across to Rangitoto," says Ross.

An interesting mix of trees has grown up in the garden. There's a cabbage tree, camellias, pohutukawa, rata, a pine, a silver birch, a conifer, and a cherry tree growing through a wrought iron spiral staircase winding up to the top of the carport like a garden folly (the staircase is for sale separate from the house).

"My aunt acquired it from a building in Queen Street and I think had plans to build a deck on top of the carport, but that never eventuated," says Ross.

Betty Allman-Marchant ran the St Swithin's private hospital in Epsom from the 1960s until the 1980s. After retiring she missed her work so much she built separate accommodation along the back of her property in which to care for private patients. It contains two bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen and two bathrooms.

There are also two other bedrooms at the kitchen end of the house, one with its own external entry and bathroom - perfect for an older child or extended family member.

Ross is clearly fond of the house, fascinated by its history, and rather sentimental about it finally leaving his family. But he is realistic about it being time for a new phase of life.

"It needs someone to come in and restore it to the state of glory it was designed to have. I have wonderful memories of it being a grand, comfortable, interestingly detailed family home, and know it could be again."

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 654sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.5million. Auction August 24.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-2pm.

CONTACT: Gordon Merrett, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 638 9158 bus, 0274 927 131 mob.

FEATURES: Roy Lippincott designed home in need of rejuvenation, but with many design features intact. Living areas and top floor bedrooms placed to catch the sun. Separate accommodation at rear of property with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, lounge and a storeroom that could be a third bedroom. Mature trees in garden, views from upper deck.