Christchurch Modern » 50s

127 Major Hornibrook Rd. Cowey House / O’Neill House

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 08:17:38 +0000

Don Cowey designed this Mt Pleasant house for his mum in 1953, He was straight out of architecture school, aged 25, and built it together with his mates Allan Mitchener and Allan Wild. Sixty years later it was sadly demolished due to earthquake damage and lovingly reimagined by Bridget and Duval O’Neill.

Here’s the story from Duval, it’s a good one:

Despite the obvious deterioration, and a series of alterations that the house had been subjected to, there was something about this house and the site that just felt right. Having moved from living on the hills in Wellington, we also liked the elevation and views. Discovering the house had been designed by Don was a bonus, and led us to becoming friends with him and his wife Jocelyn.

The house faired reasonably well in the February earthquake, a true testament to Don, however it was deemed uneconomic to repair.

Sadly, the earthquake was to claim Don’s life. When the earthquake struck, Don was in the back garden of his recently completed Redcliffs home, picking raspberries for his beloved wife Jocelyn.

Don had designed the original house around 1953 when he was only 25. He and a friend also built it, as you did back then. Don was proud of his design and explained to us the way he wanted to unveil the views as you walked through the house. He positioned it to preserve those views. He also created a private rear garden that was accessed by a small stone bridge that his father built. As the years passed, both house and garden evolved to suit the changing needs of the various occupants.

I don’t know how many alteration concepts we created, dating back to when we first bought the house in 2005. Some were dream-schemes and there was always the ongoing struggle as an architect to formulate a final solution. The earthquakes added a further dimension to this, and of course another level of constraint was working with the insurer. Once we had the decision to rebuild, the design strategy was largely an initiative in maintaining the essence of the original Don Cowey design, while taking the opportunity to adapt it to more modern living, whatever that has come to mean. We didn’t want a big house, despite having a pretty constant flow of family visiting us. Excluding the enclosure of the carport as a garage, we added just 36 metres over two levels.

In many ways this project was an alteration, the restriction being the original house, the opportunity being the unique solutions that arose from working within those restraints. I think Don would have approved, he was after all a modernist architect, a very generous man, he would have embraced it.

Thanks to HMOA for the tip and Russel Kleyn for the new pics.

299 Lake Terrace Rd. Peter Beaven.

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:07:31 +0000

Interesting. An early Peter Beaven design -prior to his Scandinavian phase and long before his jaunty ‘gothic’ modernism – uncharacteristically riffing off the international style with a flat roof and living room wall of glass. Sweet, original condition too.

297 Cannon Hill Cr. AR (Ron) George

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 09:00:48 +0000

Underneath the pergola, rooftop solar panels and various TV aerials might just be a very nicely designed home sitting up on top of Mount Pleasant. It would be good to see it without the ‘flair’ and was originally designed by Ron George for himself.

9 Cracroft Tce. Poore House. Minson, Henning Hansen.

admin — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 08:10:14 +0000

Great weather over the weekend, perfect for peeking over fences and spotting this T-shape beauty up on the Cashmere Hills. The solid garage door doesn’t feel right, but it’s a remarkably intact, well cared for original home.

43 Aylesford St. Pascoe & Hall.

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 06:24:34 +0000

Here’s a story we like. Diedre read about the Maling House and noticed the design similarities to her own modernist home. After contacting a number of people around town she found architect Simon Pascoe, son of Paul, who was able to confirm her house was indeed a Pascoe & Hall design, drawn by Humphrey Hall around 1950. Sadly Diedre has to move on, but the good news for Modern lovers – it’s for sale.

19 Cannon Hill Cr. J R Tye House. Warren & Mahoney.

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:03:39 +0000

Houses like this very early S’Miles design are an interesting case. A large L-shaped addition and some silly alterations have it poised precariously awaiting either restoration or obliteration. It would have originally been a beautifully proportioned, small house, but are there people willing to spend the time and money to restore the building to the way it should be? Please raise your hands.

45 Te Awakura Tce. Helmore & Cotterill.

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:34:34 +0000

In the 1940s modernist architects like Pascoe & Hall and Stewart Minson were designing modest, flat-roofed homes in the unornamented International Style, but Heathcote Helmore was well known for his grand country manors. Clearly not oblivious to the new movement, he popped out this stunning little home on a hill – looks nicely original too.

53a Garreg Rd. E F Flood House. Don Donnithorne.

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:08:34 +0000

Originally set on a half-acre block with orchard trees, the home has a northerly aspect and is constructed of red brick and pine boards. It’s nice the way the big fireplace and chimney punch through the Western wall. Good stuff, Don.

3 Ferrymead Tce. Kiddey House. Stewart Minson.

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:48:44 +0000

Overlooking the Ferrymead Bridge and set on a steep site, this pleasingly original vertical weatherboard home is an unusual parallelogram shape to fit the precipitous platform on which it snugly perches. It’s green paint and brown cedar cladding camouflage the home well against the hillside.

94 Mountain View Rd. Raymond House. Warren & Mahoney.

admin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:47:54 +0000

A little out of town, in Timaru, but an important house in Christchurch architecture being Warren & Mahoney’s very first. Miles reminisces in a recent interview with John Walsh in NZ Architecture…

“We did one or two overall forms, low-pitched roofs and so on, in the best Group manner. The very first house â€“ I feel guilty â€“ I imposed upon an elderly doctor and his wife. Itâ€™s still there, fortunately down a long drive. It was detailed to a frazzle but one quickly realised â€“ open space and a low, shed roof for clients who were in their sixties?

The original design, abandoned due to cost, was a two storey home under one long pitched roof.