Devonport Villa Saved From Demolition 50 Years Ago

When Rod Cornelius spotted a rundown waterfront villa in Devonport back in 1976, everyone else saw a teardown waiting to happen. He saw home.

The 1896 Victorian mansion was a mess. Eighteen rooms sat empty, ceilings had been dropped, wallpaper peeled from walls, and the slate roof leaked like a sieve. The kauri exterior had lost every trace of paint since the house was built 80 years earlier.

Rod sent a Polaroid to his wife Helen, who was still in Christchurch with their three boys. Her response was cautious: don't commit to anything. But one visit changed everything.

"Once I saw it I fell in love," Helen says. The couple moved straight into the gutted property and got to work.

For the next 20 to 25 years, Rod painted, rebuilt, and restored. They knocked out lowered ceilings and reconstructed the original stairway that had been chopped in half for a bathroom. Every room was redecorated in the bold, rich colors popular in Victorian times.

The couple made one smart choice: they put the kitchen and living areas upstairs to capture the stunning harbor views. Their top veranda became their favorite spot, where they've eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner outside every summer for decades, watching boats and ferries glide past.

Rod filled the lower floor with his remarkable collection of Victorian music boxes, Edison phonographs, and over 100 antique gramophones. The couple raised three boys within those kauri walls.

Why This Inspires

This story captures something powerful about seeing potential where others see problems. While developers eyed demolition, the Cornelius family saw a future. Their half-century commitment saved not just a building, but a piece of Auckland's architectural history.

Young families were moving to Devonport in the 1970s, buying old villas and doing the work themselves. The Cornelius home stands as proof that patience and vision can transform what seems like a lost cause into something extraordinary.

Now, at 324 square meters with five bedrooms and four living rooms, the restored villa is listed for auction. The couple is downsizing to a two-bedroom apartment in a Devonport lifestyle village, ready to pass their treasure to new caretakers.

Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for, and worth working for.