Christchurch Modern » Don Cowey

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.

46 Wroxton Tce. Don Cowey.

admin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 08:09:12 +0000

Interesting to see Don’s take on the ‘Big Fendalton House’ – there are so many today the suburb has ate itself. Instead of the exposed blocks and concrete of W&M we get more modest proportions and softer, cedar cladding. Minor updates and alterations since 1971 have added to the charm of what is still a very nice, modern manor.

843 Cashmere Rd. Walker House. Cowey & McGregor.

admin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:04:34 +0000

A well hidden gem up on the Cashmere hills designed for a Lincoln University Professor and his wife. It’s a killer house and unusual for Christchurch with it’s extensive use of glass and steel influenced by the American Case Study Houses. Excellent stuff.

Features in Zoe Roland’s film Four Houses from Four Decades.

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80 Valley Rd. Kennedy House. Don Cowey.

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:40:11 +0000

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.

61 Wai-iti Tce. Don Cowey.

admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:53:02 +0000

This early 60s home hasn’t fared well under heavy-handed alterations and mis-judged additions. The summerhill stone and timber has been painted over and the overall feel is of a builder’s show home. The red stuff is just plain silly.

15b Glandovey Rd. Don Cowey.

admin — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:22:17 +0000

Hidden behind the Honda Jazz is another lovely Cowey home, unassuming from the driveway in the Christchurch style of steeply pitched roofs and white painted concrete block. Inside, beautiful woodwork and split-level open spaces combine to produce a lovely, crafted home.

126 Centaurus Rd. Don Cowey.

admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:35:57 +0000

Deceptively simple from the road, but closer inspection reveals a lovely intersection of lines and detail. The home sits elevated above the road, enjoying views to the alps, and is topped by a squat, chunky chimney design. Beautiful in its understatement.

219 Memorial Ave. Cowey and McGregor.

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:50:47 +0000

Another 1960s gem from the pencil of Don Cowey that demonstrates his skill and versatility as a designer. The home appears flat-roofed at a glance, but the steep pitch of the central living room roof and red brick chimney add vertical presence.

51a Dyers Pass Rd. Blogg House. Don Cowey.

admin — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:21:20 +0000

Built in 1962 for motor dealer Bernie Blogg. Legend has it on completion of the job Bernie took out a roll of bills from his pocket, counted off a portion of the the architect’s fee and said “sue me for the rest”.

Interesting looking pool house too.

35 Leinster Rd. McLachlan House. Don Cowey.

admin — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:12:42 +0000

Don typically favoured gently mono-pitched roofs for his hillside homes, but on this flat site he went for a taller roof style – later appropriated by the Pizza Hut family restaurant chain. It enables a mezzanine level accessed via a neat, integrated brick stairway above the fireplace and sunken ‘sitting well’.