Pearce property's Australian architecture sparks love letter between owners

82 Parkhill Street, Pearce
$900,000-plus, EER: 0.5

When James Larsen and Antoinette Merrillees moved into their Pearce home in 1999 there was a note in their letterbox.

The previous owner’s daughter told them how much they had loved the home and asked them to look after it.

James says he and his family of five have also grown attached to the property. They’ve lived here on and off for the past 22 years between overseas postings. As the Australian ambassador to Turkey, James and his family now reside in Istanbul.

“I’ve always really loved that 1950s and 1960s Australian architecture,” James says.

“In that period architects were really exploring how to bring the natural beauty of building materials into the home, how to maximise lighting in the house and how to minimise corridors. That period of architecture was ahead of its time.”

The four-bedroom house has been renovated over the years, but the mid-century design by architects Hancock, Courtney and Renfree guided every addition.

The floor plan wraps around an enclosed central courtyard, one of the family’s favourite features.

“You can sit on a summer night completely enclosed and you only see the stars in the sky,” James says.

“From the family room you look straight up to Mount Taylor. Even though it’s a suburban house, it brings nature in and it brings light in.”

James says the tenants have loved the home just as much and they sent him a similar message to that first note in the letter box:

“It is a beautiful house and we felt grateful to have the opportunity to call it home.”

James thinks the new owners will be just as happy as the home’s previous residents.

“It’s a fabulous location and a great neighbourhood,” he says.

“People are really valuing that mid-century architecture.”

Auction: Saturday, June 24, at 1.30pm, onsite. Inspect: Saturday, 11.15am-noon. Agent: Rob Cappuccio, Peter Blackshaw Woden and Weston Creek, 0410 121 601.

15 Stuart Street., Griffith
Mid $1.3 millions, EER: 1.5

It’s just a short stroll from Manuka Village, but when 15 Stuart Street was built in 1939 it was on Canberra’s periphery.

The three-bedroom house has hit the market for the first time in almost 80 years and while the city has grown around it, little about the home has changed.

Builder Leslie Dwyer and his wife Eileen built the house after moving from Ainslie. The move also signalled a career change for Leslie when he opened Manuka Lawn’s first shop, a photographic business.

Daughter Roma grew up in the house then moved back in the early ’60s with two sons. She lived there for 53 years before moving into a nursing home in March.

Her son, Ian Heffernan, says there have been a lot of knockdown rebuilds in the area and he expects the 1095-square-metre block will be redeveloped by the new owners.

“To be frank, it would be a difficult place to renovate,” Ian says.

“I think time has moved on and I think it will be bought by someone who wants to build a very nice residence on a large block in a lovely part of Canberra.”

Auction: Saturday, July 1 at 1pm, on-site. Inspect: 9.45am-10.30am. Agent: Mario Sanfrancesco and David Stokes, Peter Blackshaw Manuka, 0412 488 027 or 0410 598 463.