Architecture and Landmarks
The houses of the area are predominantly 1920s Californian Bungalows and 1930s & 1940s Art Deco, which gives the suburb an interesting pre-war atmosphere. Rising real estate values have spurred gentrification and subdivision in recent years, particularly north of Meola Road and in locations near to the water. Towards the northern end of the peninsula there are many houses from the postwar period, and a number of larger architect-designed homes have recently appeared close to Point Chevalier Beach.
There is a certain amount of light industry located in the area, especially close to Great North Road.
There is a retirement community Selwyn Village on the western side, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. This community is run by an Anglican church Trust and includes self-contained houses and apartments, bed-sits, a hospital, and a chapel.
The main shopping area at the intersection of Point Chevalier Road and Great North Road was developed during the interwar period; the most notable of the buildings here are;
- The former cinema, (1920s designed by Sinclair O'Connor) later known as the 'Ambassador' theatre (currently the Ambassador Bar).
- ASB Bank: Great North Road. This small neo-classical building is one of the many buildings commissioned by the Auckland Savings Bank from the architect Daniel B. Patterson. Similar buildings appear in Auckland suburban centres and in provincial towns throughout the Auckland Province.
- The current Point Chevalier Public Library was opened nearby in 1989.
- The former Whau Lunatic Asylum. To the south of Great North Road, across State Highway 16, lies the former psychiatric hospital. This imposing brick Italianate/Romanesque structure was the largest building in the colony when it was built. Construction began in 1865, supervised by James Wrigley using plans from Great Britain. Dr Pollen's brickworks supplied the bricks. Following a fire in 1877, the reconstruction and extension of the hospital was supervised by Philip Herepath. Notorious as the "Oakley Mental Hospital" and "Carrington Hospital", it was decommissioned during the early 1990s. The buildings are now used as a school, part of the campus of Unitec New Zealand.
Read more about this topic: Point Chevalier
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