- Jim Wana, former Black Sox pitcher, is selling his Seatoun home through Space Realty.
- Wana transformed the 'crap' cottage into a luxury home with architect Ron Partington.
- The home features high-stud ceilings, oak flooring, and integrates smart systems and art collections.
Kiwi softball legend Jim Wana has a different pitch these days. The former Black Sox champion is now a real estate agent, and his latest listing is his own family home.
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Wana and his Space Realty colleague Stathis Moutos are selling Wana's four-bedroom showpiece house at 24 Ventnor Street, in Seatoun, Wellington.
Wana, who bought the classic cottage in 2013 for $645,000 and turned it into a luxury contemporary home, told OneRoof he was selling up to follow international opportunities.
Wana was one of the world’s top softball pitchers and has been inducted into the International Softball Congress (ISC) Hall of Fame. He played in New Zealand and overseas throughout the 1980s and 90s, and his efforts helped the Black Sox clinch the World Series in 2004.
Wana at the 2004 World Series, in his sporting heyday. He was one of New Zealand’s top softball pitchers and played at a national and international level. Photo / Supplied
The four-bedroom home was substantially rebuilt in 2016 and is home to the Wana family's colourful collection of art and pop culture curiosities. Photo / Supplied
Elvis is in the house. The legendary singer looms large in the family's living room. Photo / Supplied
Along the way, he married Michelle Spiers, a former army officer turned real estate agent, and together they have raised three children.
He said the couple bought 24 Ventnor Street with grand designs in mind. “We purchased it in 2013, and it was basically a 99sqm cottage, owned by a 90-year-old who had moved into a rest home,” Wana said.
“We rocked up, and I said to my wife, ‘Let’s buy it.' She said, ‘You haven’t been inside.' I said, ‘Yeah, it’s going to be crap.' We put an unconditional offer in and ended up owning it that night.
“We came from a brand new four-bedroom home in Ngaio that we bought off the plans. We sold that and bought this.”
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A standard renovation was never on the cards for the couple. They wanted something modern and bold to house their growing art collection.
“We lived in it for about 18 months, trying to figure out what we would do. A number of architects came up with the old 'add-on-top' type thing. Old cottage, do a pop-up, put a stairwell in, and that’s kind of boring. Then we had a housewarming party and a friend of a friend introduced us to architect Ron Partington.”
Partington’s vision was to retain the cottage’s street-facing frontage while adding a new wing that seamlessly blended traditional and contemporary styles.
In the listing on OneRoof, Wana writes that the home's original character was preserved and elevated with contemporary design, premium materials and unmistakable quality.
Wana says in his listing that the "designer kitchen is a true centrepiece, complete with dual ovens and a small scullery nook". Photo / Supplied
The iconic Mr Four Square dominates the family's outdoor entertainment space. Photo / Supplied
“Rarely does Seatoun offer a home with this combination of character, architectural quality, modern performance and lifestyle appeal. It is stylish without being showy, luxurious without being precious, and designed for people who want something with soul," Wana says.
“High-stud ceilings, oak flooring, full double glazing and light-filled interiors create a home that feels calm, refined and beautifully liveable. Every detail has been carefully chosen, from the low-maintenance exterior materials to the integrated smart systems controlling sound, vision and blinds.”
Wana told OneRoof that he loved the blend of textures, including the cedar and concrete block in Partington’s design. “The wood softens things and adds modern contemporary, but also nostalgia. It’s not just gibbed walls.”
The home works well with the couple’s extensive collections. “My wife and I love art. Some pieces she's picked, some pieces I've collected over the years.” Quirky antiques feature in the house, with a Shell petrol pump one of the couple’s favourites. “I bought it from a retailer called Route 66 that had gone bust,” Wana said.
One of the couple’s favourite artists is Michel Tuffery, a Kiwi artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent who exhibits around the world. "I have a one-off little bull from Michel Tuffery. And I have a portrait by Tuffery of James Cook with a hibiscus flower in his ear."
Wana said he had 25 groups through the first open home - a high number for Wellington in the current market. The house, he said, was in a great spot - 200m from Marine Parade. “There’s a wharf that kids jump off in the summertime and go fishing. It’s a great suburb.”
- 24 Ventnor Street, Seatoun, Wellington, is for sale
