French Bay House
Introduction and Methodology
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| House from the street, 1950s. photo Gerhardt Rosenberg |
The house at 67 Otitori Bay Road was built as a weekend cottage following the purchase of the land by Herbert Harpour in 1939. The legal title of the property is Lot 11 DP17297 portion of allotments 242a, 410 and 412 Parish of Waikomiti (Certificate of Title 723/55). The property measures 1034 square metres.
In 1953 Colin McCahon bought the property and the painter and his family lived here until 1960. During this time McCahon carried out numerous projects on the property. The changes he made to the house were largely left in place by Ms Jacqueline Amoamo, who lived there from 1960 until 1999.
This report has been commissioned by Waitakere City Council, and the McCahon House Trust. The conservation plan is intended as the first stage in a process to establish the significance of a place. It gives guidance as to how the place can be retained and maintained. It is a document that tells the story of the place and recommends policies which will ensure appropriate care and use.
Methodology
This document is based on The Conservation Plan: A Guide to the Preparation of Conservation Plans for Places of European Cultural Heritage Significance, National Trust (N.S.W.), 1990, by James Semple Kerr, and on the principles and practices set out in the ICOMOS New Zealand Charter For The Conservation Of Places Of Cultural Heritage Value, 1995, and the NZHPT Guidelines for the Preparation of Conservation Plans, 1994.
This document is intended to provide as full as possible a record of the building and site, as it stands, from readily available primary and secondary historical sources, a survey of it’s present state, and from the recollections of those associated with the house during the 1950’s.
The conservation plan is in two sections: Cultural Significance, and Conservation Policy.
Part One: Cultural Significance, establishes the history of the place, it’s relationship to broader events, and how the building contributes to the understanding of the place and community. This is summarized in the “Statement of Cultural Significance” at the end of the section.
Part Two : Conservation Policy, is intended as a management tool to guide the future development and care of 67 Otitori Bay Road, in a manner which will retain and reinforce the significance of the building. The policies are also intended to allow for the building to be restored to community use, if this is possible, and to provide guidance as to how this can best be done.
Summary
- Colin McCahon and his family lived at 67 Otitori Bay Road from 1953-1960.
- McCahon, himself, carried out the idiosyncratic alterations to the cottage which predominantly remain as he built them.
- McCahon painted in the house, on the deck and in the garage (e.g. the Northland Panels, and the Wake).
- The period (1953-1960) was one of significant transition in McCahon’s art, its style and subject matter.
- The house was a gathering place for many of New Zealand’s leading artists and literary figures during the time the McCahons lived there.
- McCahon is acknowledged internationally as New Zealand’s greatest modern painter.
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