31 Wellman Road, FORESTVILLE NSW 2087

31 Wellman Road, Forestville is proudly presented by Brian Fairweather of Ray White real estate. *** This property has been SOLD - no further viewings *** Rental Estimate: $725 to $780 per week. Seize the opportunity to own an architect-designed home in a great family street - there is potential to upgrade or rebuild on a huge 791sqm level block, surrounded by more expensive homes. Located just a five minute walk to the Forest Way shops, Frenchs Forest primary school, and the bus stop directly across Warringah Rd to city (30 minutes), with easy access to walking and bike riding trails through the nearby Garigal National Park. The background on this property and the well-known architect who designed it has been described by the owners as follows: "Neville Gruzman was an Australian-born architect, activist, and writer. He was born in Sydney, Australia in 1925 and died in 2005. His dedication to the landscape and how it coexists with architecture had a huge influence on Australian architectural theory. He helped shape Australian residential and commercial building design in a big way. Part of Gruzman's strategy is to incorporate the various aspects of a particular landscape with the needs of the client. Gruzman was heavily influenced by Japanese aesthetics, as it is infused with an interest in the natural world. He was also attracted to the sleek Japanese roof design. Gruzman built numerous residential houses in Sydney. His works represent a form of Modernism known as Organic Modernism, or Regionalism. His building style at this time showed great influence from his American counterpart, Frank Lloyd Wright. In the 1960's Gruzman also gained recognition for private homes built for wealthy and sometimes eccentric clients along Sydney's north shore. Examples of such works include Hill's House and Holland House. 31 Wellman Rd is one of only three houses of the same 'Polynesian Style' designed by Neville Gruzman in the early 1960's. In 1970, the owner commissioned architect Peter Lee to design a third pavilion (the bedrooms upstairs) to conform to the existing structures, being the main house and garage. The house has had 4 owners. The original owners lived in the house for a very short time and then sold it to the second owners who lived in it for 34 years. They were great fans of Neville Gruzman, so maintained the house in its original state for that time. Their Swiss grandmother, an artist who loved gardening. She laid the foundations for the garden and most of the planting is original. There is an avocado, plum and lemon tree to the left of the kitchen, all of which bear fruit. At the top of the garden there are also several stone fruit trees. The house was sold in 1998 to a single man who lived there for two years before meeting the love of his life, marrying her and moving to Tasmania. We bought the house in 2000. We loved living in the house for 5 years before moving to The Netherlands to be closer to family. We were the first to (slightly) alter the house. We replaced both of the bathrooms which were quite dated, and created a pantry off the kitchen. We maintained the original cabinets along the back wall but they have very recently been replaced. We loved living in Wellman Rd. There is something very special about the house, which is hard to put into words, but it has a wonderful calm feeling. For the last 5 years we have had wonderful tenants who treated the house as their own and loved living there. We hope that another family will appreciate the opportunity to restore and live in this special home."