UNDISCOVERED MODERNIST GEM

BIRKENHEAD 230 Onewa Rd

For 26 years, Deb and John Fabrin thought they knew everything about their 1960s modernist home, until they decided to sell it.

Curious about its provenance, they uplifted the Auckland Council’s property file and discovered they’d been living in a slice of Auckland’s architectural history, on its original 1265sq m park-like grounds.

There among the paperwork were the plans for the fivebedroom home, dated July 1962, with “V.O. Cacala. Architect” stencilled in a smaller font in the bottom corner. It confirmed the work of Vladimir Cacala, the Czechoslovakian-born, postwar migrant who became one of New Zealand’s most significant 1950s and 60s modernist architects.

No one got a bigger shock than Deb, a trained draughtswoman.

“It was like wow! Absolutely! We knew the house had been architecturally designed, and that made sense because of the way it was orientated for the sun, and its spaces. You could tell it had been thoughtfully designed.”

It was special to both of them. “It resonated in so many ways,” says John, who works in media.

Deb almost stumbled on the Cacala clue 20 years ago when she found named photocopies of part-pages of the plans. The working mother of two young children, her focus then was on the cross-sections and elevations that helped her design the adjoining, onebedroom, self-contained quarters they call “little house”.

Her earlier training and work in Christchurch meant she was also unfamiliar with Auckland’s architectural scene, which included Vlad Cacala’s most well-known, internationallyacclaimed homes.

Built in 1963, this typically rectangular Cacala home has held many more secrets beyond its trademark cedar cladding, brick feature walls, flat roof and floor-to-ceiling glass features.

In the original office they call “the 60s room”, they discovered timber panelling beneath the woven fabric wallpaper on one wall, which matched the hallway. In the master ensuite, they left intact the sunken bath beneath their replacement shower.

Yet another discovery came to light when the elderly widow of artist Philip Nielsen inquired about a relief work she knew he had commissioned for a house near here. Deb invited her in, pointed to The Big Fisherman in the entry. “I said ‘Is that it?’ She said, ‘Yes’ and she cried.” With the Nielsen family’s approval, Deb and John hope to take that artwork with them, to safeguard its contribution to our national heritage.

Even more memories have surfaced since the recent Cacala confirmation. The sons of the original owner brought their photo album when they introduced themselves. They’ve now got an updated photo of themselves under the same pepper tree as in the album.

Subsequent owners turned the original carport into the family room. All four original, cubicle-style single bedrooms have now been converted into double bedrooms. Elsewhere, charming originality is ongoing proof of its functionality. The kitchen has its original cabinetry, the master bedroom has its 16-drawer built-in dresser and the former office light now adorns the dining area.

The home that John’s brother named El Rancho for its American Palm Springs vibe needs a new family to fill its spaces, say these owners. Auction: December 10 Contact: Jo Glancy, Harcourts, 021 994 874