In a neighbourhood near you, old homes are making way for later arrivals. Kim Dungey visits Belgrave Cres and finds three families who held a street party to celebrate their villas' survival.
At a time when many old houses are disappearing, the owners of three adjacent villas in the Dunedin suburb of Roslyn are celebrating their homes' longevity.
The "grand old ladies" of Belgrave Cres turned 100 last year and, according to their owners, have many years left in them yet.
But the future of the trio did not always look so assured. Seven years ago, the home at No 33 had fallen into disrepair and neighbours feared it would be replaced by a townhouse as several others in the street had been.
No 23, owned by Tim and Monica Wren, No 27, owned by Rob and Anwyn Walker, and No 33, restored by a builder and now owned by Gene and Anna Ollerenshaw, were all completed within about eight months of each other in 1910.
Former owners celebrated their "birthday" last year when they wandered through the rooms again and shared stories of the street known, until 1915, as Victoria Cres.
Some remembered Mackay's Grocery on the corner of Ross St, Hart St and Highgate, a tiny dairy which sold just milk, butter, sweets and ice-cream beside it, and next to that, a butcher's shop in Highgate.
Others recalled the cable cars that ran along part of Belgrave Cres on the way to Kaikorai Valley.
The houses are thought to be on land that was originally owned by a Scottish farmer. Daniel Brown had 12ha of pasture stretching from High St (as Highgate was first called), down to Kaikorai Valley.
He arrived with his wife and six children in 1858 and his prefabricated timber home around the corner from Belgrave Cres, in Lundie St, was said to be the first in Roslyn.
Tracing former owners was relatively easy for the Walkers and the Ollerenshaws because each home had been in one family for a considerable period.
Building specifications show No 27 was built at a cost of 613 for Lieutenant-colonel Johnston McAra, who lived there with his widowed mother, Helen. McAra was an accountant, the first president of the Dunedin Philatelic Club and joined the territorial army in the early 1890s, later becoming the first commanding officer of the 4th Regiment (Otago Rifles). He remained in the house until he died aged in his 90s.
No 33 was built for Jane McFarlane but belonged to members of the MacMillian family for 67 years. The Ollerenshaws bought the house four years ago from builder Colin Danby.
Both the Walkers and the Wrens moved into the neighbourhood in the late 1980s and each family raised a son and two daughters there.
Mrs Walker recalls being told that a villa in the street was about to be offered for sale but was unsure if it was No 23 or No 27. Stopping outside to take a look, she decided either would be "just fine".
Mrs Wren took longer to warm to her home, however: "I didn't love it. My husband did," she says, laughing.
"He and my father saw it as a sound, solid house. I wanted something a bit quirkier, with more bays and leadlights. But in hindsight, it's been a fantastic house and easy to live in."
From the street, the houses look much the same as they always did but inside it is a different story.
All three have been renovated, with 1970s additions such as bold floral wallpaper and mustard shag-pile being removed and essentials such as insulation added.
Five of the six original fireplaces in the Walker home remained but layers of paint had to be removed from the tiles and wooden surrounds.
Living areas at the back of the homes have also been opened up.
In the Wrens' house, skylights have transformed previously dark spaces and glass doors lead from the living area to the deck but original features such as high skirting boards and detailed mouldings remain.
These architectural details were often chosen from manufacturers' catalogues, making them the kitset homes of their day, Mr Wren says.
Some people think owners are "insane" to renovate such homes when they could build new ones, he adds.
But villas can be warm and comfortable once insulated and, unlike many new properties, have character.
Neighbour Anwyn Walker says she is "thrilled" that the charming old homes have survived.
"It's nice to have the three of them here, and owners who care about them."
