A Tongan church in Grey Lynn is hoping to have decision by July on how they want to save one of Auckland’s highest priority heritage buildings.
Carlile House on Richmond Road owned by the United Church of Tonga has sat empty for 20 years and is now “falling to the ground” due to a lack of maintenance according to the church’s board.
Chair of the board Malakai Koloamatangi said the church has been consulting with its congregation as to what to do with the building.
“There are three options: fix it ourselves, sell up and move away or sit around and let it fall to the ground,” Mr Koloamatangi said.
A fourth option of collaborating with a development company to refurbish the building has been floated by the church and Auckland Council.
The former orphanage has been the centre of failed negotiations between Auckland Council and the church in the past, but Te Waha Nui understands deals between the church and third party’s have also fallen over.
Chair of the Tongan Advisory Council Melino Maka said an offer from an American based property development company was “genuine”.
San Francisco-based Third Leaf Partners managing partner Aaron Faust viewed the property in 2014, and in an email he confirmed that at the time he had a “general willingness to consider [refurbishing and leasing the building.]”
Mr Faust confirmed that his company had made no formal approaches to the church regarding a deal, but Te Waha Nui understands a broker entered into discussions with the church on the company’s behalf.
The early conversation involved the idea of the church leasing the building to the brokers client on a 60-year lease, in return the client would fully refurbish the building.
Mr Maka spent 18 months brokering the deal before discussions fell through late last year.
He estimated the cost of restoration was $7 million and said it would take two years to return the building to its former glory.
Mr Koloamatangi was unaware of this particular deal, but said there had been interests from other companies previously.
Mr Maka confirmed he did not speak directly with Mr Koloamatangi, but had dealt with other church leaders.
Auckland Council heritage manager Noel Reardon was unaware of the discussions with the broker when approached for comment, but described it as a good deal.
“That sounds like it would’ve been an ideal outcome,” he said.
Mr Reardon said that the council had been working with the church to look a possibilities of the church restoring the building themselves.
Mr Koloamatangi said the consultation between the church and the council had been positive, but a lot of the church’s members did not want to move away from the current site.
“90% want to stay… a minority want to move, but they don’t want to move too far.”
He said church member’s do not want to lose their heritage, the church attached to Carlile House was the first place of worship built by Tongans outside of Tonga.
Built in 1886, Carlile House is one of Auckland’s oldest historic buildings and the council is desperate to get it restored.
Mr Reardon said the building was a top priority, “second only to the St James Theatre”.
The council recently installed a fence around the building after physical damage and graffiti accelerated deterioration.
Mr Koloamatangi said the building had suffered damage from “street kids, squatters and arson”.
The joint managing director of Savills Real Estate, Doug Osborne, declined to comment.
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By Andrew Hallberg
Sources:
Vernon Tava // Waitemata Local Board Member // 021 242 4608
Noel Reardon // Auckland Council Heritage Manager // 021 580 519
Melino Maka // Chair, Tongan Advisory Council // 027 563 5466
Malakai Koloamatangi // Chair of the Board of the United Church of Tonga // 021 917 347
Aaron Faust // Managing Director, Third Leaf Partners // afaust@thirdleafpartners.com
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