Story: City planning

Restoring villas

Restoring villas

In the 1970s a new generation of homebuyers began renovating old houses in inner city suburbs. Such people liked the native timbers, high studs and ornate architecture of these older homes. Among those to embark on such projects were Kurt and Sylvia Otzen, who from 1972 spent five years renovating their villa in Thorndon’s historic E zone – New Zealand’s first urban conservation area. A common renovation practice was to open up internal spaces by removing walls, leaving the chimney as the centrepiece of the enlarged space.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PAColl-7327)
Reference: EP/1977/1232
Photograph by Ross Giblin

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'City planning - From motorways to the Resource Management Act', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/25720/restoring-villas (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, published 11 Mar 2010, updated 26 Mar 2015