PRESERVATION OF EARLY AKAROA HOUSE PROPOSED

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29002, 17 September 1959, Page 10

PRESERVATION OF EARLY AKAROA HOUSE PROPOSED

Proposals to buy the Eteveneaux house at the corner of Balguerie and Lavaud streets, Akaroa, and preserve it as a memorial to the French settlement of the town were discussed at a meeting of the Banks Peninsula Centennial Committee.

The house, which was inspected recently by the French Ambassador (M. Jean-Louis Baudier), is believed to be the last of the French-style houses built by the pioneers, and, according to expert opinion, it is of a design common in Normandy in the 1840’s. The Centennial Committee has in trust £1774, which has accumulated since the Akaroa centennial in 1940. The Canterbury Regional Committee of the National Historic Places Trust has interested itself in the house, and it is now proposed to use the committee’s money with help from the trust, to buy the house.

The chairman of the trust’s regional committee (Mr W. Gardner), who attended the meeting, said that a price had been placed on the house by the Thomas family, of Christchurch, who owned the property. Responsibility For Maintenance The trust, he said, would probably not wish to accept responsibility for maintenance of the house. That should be the responsibility of the Akaroa County. Council, perhaps through a committee. Akaroa would benefit through having the house turned into a museum, and Akaroa people should, he thought pay towards it through their local body. The chairman of the Akaroa County Council (Mr J. B. Hay), who presided, referred to a suggestion made some years ago that if the house were bought, the French Government might be interested in furnishing it in French style of the period. He thought the committee should get an architect’s report on the house, as it would be no good buying it and then finding that the money was gone but a lot remained to be spent on renovations. If the architect’s report were favourable, the Centennial Committee could then approach the trust.

Inspection By Architect Mr Gardner's offer to arrange for an architect to inspect the house was accepted, and the committee passed a resolution favouring the use of its funds towards buying the house if it were financially possible. A subcommittee was set up to go into details.

The house is at present occupied by the Langrope family. The front portion is believed to have been brought pre-cut from France in the early days of the French settlement. Additions were made later.