- A historic Fendalton mansion, built in the late 1920s, is for sale after surviving the Christchurch earthquakes.
- The Spanish Colonial home, constructed by the Glue Brothers, features rare architecture and heritage significance.
- The property, with a $2m RV, has generated interest amid Christchurch’s steady property market growth.
Thousands of homes were demolished after the Christchurch earthquakes, but some stayed strong.
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One of those is for sale in the sought-after suburb of Fendalton, and is a historic mansion built in the late 1920s.
Harcourts listing agent Alison Aitken said of the five-bedroom home at 12 Glandovey Road: “I think if it survived the earthquakes, it’s going to survive anything, isn’t it?”
The Spanish Colonial architecture is rare in Christchurch. It was built by the appropriately named Glue Brothers, who were active in Christchurch at the time.
The brothers, William and Walter, created a method of hand-poured, reinforced concrete construction called “Simplex”, and their house at 12 Glandovey Road is heritage-listed, given its historical and social significance.
Harcourts Grenadier agent Alison Aitken says 12 Glandovey Road is one of the prettiest homes she’s listed. Photo / Supplied
The property has an RV of over $2m and was built by the renowned Glue Bros in 1929. Photo / Supplied
Christchurch City Council said the house was commissioned by wool-buyer Stephen Wade, of Wade & Co, and his wife Aileen, who was the daughter of Charles L Dearsley, from Dearsley and Lane, Estate Agents, Hotel Brokers and Valuators.
“Glandovey Road was one of a number of homes built by or owned by the Wades during their lifetime,” the council said.
From 1945 until 1998, the property was owned by William Brown and his wife Moira, and during the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, it sustained only cosmetic damage.
The property had cultural significance as an example of an interwar professional couple’s suburban residence. “The size of the dwelling and the range of rooms it contains reflect the way of life of its residents.”
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The dwelling’s porte cochere and attached garage illustrated the new importance of the automobile, which had become more widely available and affordable by this time.
The property was also of architectural and aesthetic significance. “12 Glandovey Road has technological and craftsmanship significance for its double skin cavity wall construction and fine Oregon interior woodwork.
“The house was constructed by the firm of Glue Bros, who had patented their own method of concrete construction in 1914 and constructed many homes using the technique in the suburb of Fendalton during the 1920s and 1930s.”
Aitken said the house was “gorgeous” and that other Glue Brothers’ houses in the vicinity were also incredible builds and all survived the earthquakes.
“It’s a beautiful home, and it’s just very Spanish-looking. That’s the uniqueness of this one; it’s just very Mediterranean.”
The heritage home at Glandovey Road is stylishly dressed. Photo / Supplied
Aitken, who broke Christchurch’s auction record last month with the $8.34m sale of an ultra-modern home on Glandovey Road, feels “very lucky” when she walks into the historic mansion. It, she said, was one of the prettiest and sunniest of the Glue Brothers’ homes.
Her listing describes many elegant features that have stood the test of time, including the distinctive Porte Cochere (Coach Door), a graceful arched loggia forming a grand entrance to this impressive house.
“Multi-pane windows, some with curved tops, lovely window boxes, and the striking terracotta tile roof with capped chimneys all pay homage to the Mediterranean.”
Long-established plantings meandered down to the stream, and mature trees stood on the boundaries. “The interior is renovated in keeping with the architecture and European influence with exquisite wallpapers and light fittings,” she wrote.
Aitken told OneRoof last month that buyers at the top end of Christchurch’s housing market were stretching towards the $10m mark.
Last year, the agent closed the deal for Christchurch’s biggest house sale, $9.55m for the 110-year-old Brenchley estate on Saint Barnabas Lane, in Fendalton.
“The market has moved with the cost to build and the cost of land. You’ve got to remember there are some amazing houses in Christchurch, but they are not for sale,” she told OneRoof.
She said that a $10m-plus sale in the city was likely within the next few years.
“There’s plenty of money here,” she said. “There are plenty of people in Christchurch with big cheque books, and they are already living here and are just upgrading. And they only come out when you get a listing like that, they are not actively looking until something like that pops up on the market.”
That $10m-plus is unlikely to be for 12 Glandovey Road – the property has an RV of just over $2m – but agents say the interest is there, and price growth in the Christchurch market has held reasonably well, with the city’s average property value rising by 2.6% over the last 12 months, compared to a 3.3% drop in Auckland.
- 12 Glandovey Road, Fendalton, Christchurch, goes to auction on April 30
