Lofty ideals in K Rd
Central apartment has Manhattan ambience, discovers Donna McIntyre
For admirers of character buildings, K Rd’s George Courts building, home to apartments on its upper levels, delivers grandeur and history. There’s the wow factor as you enter the landmark building and make your way up the grand central stairway, English oak panelling and wide stairs making you feel you really have arrived at a destination of note. The building, designed by Clinton Savage and constructed in 1926 as the George Courts Department Store, was converted to an apartment building in 1993.
Sian Evans says it was that character and central location that prompted her to buy a one- bedroom apartment on the third level in 1999.
“We felt a strong connection to the inner- city vibe K Rd is well known for. Though the area is becoming more developed, it is also managing to hang on to that unique feel.”
She was so taken with the charm of the apartment she looked no further. “I knew that this was the one.” She especially liked the original wooden floors and high ceilings. “The building’s character also means history and a story,” she says.
“The apartment has a high beam ceiling with beautiful wooden floors and large windows. I remember when I first walked into the George Courts apartment after viewing other places of similar size in central Auckland, what struck me immediately was the spaciousness that it presented and with the sun streaming in, it felt close to the spacious sunny Manhattan loft I had always wanted.”
Her apartment faces Waitakeres to the west which rewarded her with great sunsets.
That also means the apartment gets natural light — especially in the afternoon — coming through the large metal- framed windows which take up a good portion of the exterior wall of her apartment.
That’s the one thing she singles out about the apartment’s many attractions. “The great light that comes from the full- length windows.”
Her apartment has the living area on the entry level, with kitchen living and dining sharing the open plan area. A separate bathroom is set behind the living room, with its good size allowing a standalone bath with shower over the bath, toilet and vanity. The apartment has various cupboards for storage.
Stairs lead to the mezzanine bedroom that has balustrades of tensioned wire, wood railings and glass panels, allowing light into the sleeping area and continuing the feeling of space.
The living room ceilings are high, easily three or four metres; the kitchen has a lower ceiling because of the mezzanine above it.
Sian thinks her apartment would be great for young professionals. “There is a varied mix living in the building from the penthouse to the apartments.”
The sale includes a car park in the basement of the building.