Original, unmolested modernist homes of the 1940s are pretty hard to come by in Christchurch which makes this Stewart Minson design a real find. The combination of the L-shape, flat-roof, weatherboard, and flagstone are a fine mix and the way the roofline steps down the slope is super sharp.
…continue reading 71 Te Awakura Tce. Stewart Minson.
If we had a dollar for every ugly aluminium conservatory / sun room added to a Christchurch Modern home we’d have at least $64. The house is guilty - $65 - but the original unpainted concrete blockwork outside and stunning timber detailing inside leaves all forgiven. The fireplace in the living room is a bohemoth and a thing of beauty.
…continue reading 29 Cannon Hill Cr. Minson, Henning-Hansen.
Aside from an unfortunate 20-year love affair with red brick, Don seemed to prefer timber for his houses, but he did occasionally build in concrete block and the results were almost always good. The wide, low pitched roof was popular with architects at the time, but the crows nest bedroom and chunky chimney set this house apart.
…continue reading 8 Sulby Rd. Don Donnithorne.
A 1967 home designed by Keith Anderson, one of the ‘young guns’ of post-war Christchurch architecture and a lesser known contemporary of Warren, Beaven, Cowey, Donnithorne et al.
Not a complete honey, with some little additions obscuring the original design, but the clever use of sliding doors inside and out make for a practical, open space with enviable views across the plains.
…continue reading 48 Whareora Tce. Price House. Griffiths, Moffat & Partners.
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.
…continue reading 45 Te Awakura Tce. Helmore & Cotterill.
A particularly smart 1970s example of the Christchurch style from a former W&M architect: exposed concrete block walls, steep tongue and groove pitched ceilings and a tall, rigid chimney giving an assertive finger to the imminent ban on open fire places in Christchurch.
…continue reading 14 Highbank Lne. Neil Hey.
It was 1967 when the owners moved in and not much has changed since. Not Don’s finest, but a real time capsule with some familiar Cowey touches like the Pizza Hut roof & fibreglass Shoji screens inside.
The house that Bill built, from concrete blocks and cedar. A standout, family home on the hill, loaded with sharp angles, a hint of origami and a splash of nautical colour. Must be the nicest carport in the city.
A killer hillside home built in 1967 by a practice that was instrumental in the champion of unpainted concrete blocks in Christchurch house construction - a material once reserved for cheap, commercial applications. Exceptionally maintained, this home features living, eating and cooking upstairs with sleeping underneath. A neat studio was added off the living area three years after the home was built.
…continue reading 40 Whareora Tce. Fogden House. Griffiths, Moffat & Partners
A very clean, unadorned box clad in rough cut boards and perched upon a beautiful ‘off shutter’ concrete base. There’s a fair bit of vegetation concealing the in-situ concrete details, but some sharp secateurs and a barrel of napalm would make short work of it.
Another Mervyn Seal influenced home with the distinctive butterfly roof and geometric wall of windows. This one has been recently ‘modernised’, but the striking original form is unmistakable.
…continue reading 50 Valley Rd. Architect Unknown.
Multi-level, concrete block and timber design from one of Christchurch’s best mid-century architects and designer of the stellar Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery.
…continue reading 279 Cannon Hill Cr. Ching House. Minson, Henning-Hansen & Dines.