St Heliers mid-century gem up for sale

A slice of history is for sale in an east Auckland suburb.

The mid-century Tapper House in St Heliers remains true to the original vision of architect Vladimir Cacala, who designed the house in 1957.

The authenticity is so great, the house has featured in architectural books and has also been used for photo shoots.

Current owners, Luke and Sandy Nola, have put the house on the market with Sotheby’s International Realty.

Sotheby’s International Realty describes the property as a ‘‘Modernist masterpiece, as original as the day it was built in design principle, but with subtle and sympathetic renovations to make it a dream home for today’s family.’’

The Nolas, who have passionately restored the house over nearly 20 years, are justifiably proud. And there’s no denying their love for the genre. Luke Nola says their first date was to see a Mid-century display at the museum.

‘‘We fell in love with a living room that had been perfectly reproduced in the display.’’

Fast forward a few years and the couple ended up owning the house designed by Vlad Cacala, and discover that their lounge was the one that was replicated in that original display.

‘‘It was some kind of weird synchronicity,’’ Nola said.

‘‘I had always had a passion for restoring old cars and motorbikes from the 50s and 60s, and when we found this house, which was finished in 1960, it was like it was meant to be. And just like the cars and bikes, it became our philosophy to put it right back as it would be been when it was new.’’

Nola said the house had doubled in size during the 70s, and a new five-car garage and workshop were added at the rear.

‘‘Vlad, who was an old friend of my parents, came around to see what had been done to his house and he was pretty happy with the way they had matched the wood, including the teak on the outside.’’

Nola describes the architect as ‘‘a bit of a character back in the day’’.

‘‘He threw a spanner in the works, with his ideas on how a house should be. They would have been very radical ideas in the 60s.’’

The five-bedroom house has a massive floor area of 364 square metres, and sits on a 1383 square metre site.

It has a 2014 RV of $1,540,000, and is up for sale by negotiation.