Timaru Civic Trust: Mid century home gets new lease of life

Karen Rolleston

I am always happy to sit at a red traffic light when headed to town so I can look across and admire the smart brick house sitting on the corner opposite.

However, it wasn’t until it was painted and detailed just four years ago that it really stood out.

The clever and motivated homeowners that purchased then have detailed their house beautifully with dark charcoal trims and accessories which accentuate the warmth of the red brick and let them stand out as a feature.

The home is built in a mid-century style and while it is the paint job that draws your eye you then start to appreciate its other features.

The wooden joinery was replaced many years ago with steel, the metal balustrades are original as are the porch supports. All look wonderful highlighted in the charcoal paint.

A nice design detail is that the corner bricks are rounded. They give the appearance of full bricks turning the corner, eliminating visible seams and softening the edges.

A skilled brick layer was once at work here and the corner bricks match the size and thickness of the flat wall bricks perfectly.

With garage parking below and wide steps leading up to the entrance terrace the garden has been thoughtfully planted with a selection of easy care plants and flowering shrubs which will add to its character over the years.

This house next door is similar in style and was constructed after this one on the subdivided section.

Both are a great example of the homes being built in Timaru around the 1960s. This style of house responds well to modernisation and upgrading.

As an interesting note on Timaru history, the site these houses were built on was where our first Whare Nana maternity home was established in 1909.

It was set up in the stone house that once occupied this site. After only two years the practice grew and proved its worth to the community.

It was transferred, in 1911, to a new purpose built building in Bidwill St. Back then most maternity and private surgical hospitals were converted houses rather than custom built hospitals.

The combination of the right house with the right owners makes this add up to a match made in heaven!