Hard to look past this heritage-listed, modern masterpiece in Kingston

Contrary to popular opinion, Kingston isn’t just filled with apartments as far as the eye can see – it boasts a a wonderful collection of houses too. Anyone looking to live among heritage exteriors and manicured gardens while enjoying brand new interiors cannot look past this gem on Kennedy Street.

The home has been extensively renovated on the inside and is deceptively spacious from what you can see from the street. Belle Property Kingston’s Louise Harget notes that there are a great number of unique features that add to the prestige of the home.

“The fact that it’s over 300 square metres of living space right in the heart of Kingston and is heritage listed is pretty special,” she says. “It’s actually unusual to have that heritage character on the outside and the modernity inside.

“The owner has really maximised the potential of the block, and he’s been really clever with how he’s managed the finishes alongside the restrictions you get with heritage-listed houses. It’s also super quiet, you’ve got these lovely gardens outside and you’re two seconds from Kingston.”

You’re treated to lots of space split cleverly over two levels – the second nestled underground.

But Louise emphasises the unique opportunity to own a heritage-listed home in the heart of ‘old Canberra’.

“I just like the heritage theme of it more than anything else. Yes, bedrooms are big, and there is wonderful flow to the place but there’s an amazing attention to detail with things like tessellated tiles at the front, and the overall beauty of the garden,” she says.

“Overall though, these details are tasteful without being kitsch at all. The owner went to Melbourne especially to get the tiles – and has really good grasp and balance of mixing the old with the new. I think that can be very hard to get that right in a heritage place, but the owners have nailed it.

“The kitchen has a butler’s pantry which is the size of the original cottage and it’s got a massive yard too, so it’d be great for kids. Kingston is such a great spot, because there’s really easy access to Russell and the Airport is not far away either.”

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom with ensuite and walk-in robe home is perfect for a variety of potential buyers, according to Louise.

“It’s a pretty diverse mix [of potential buyers]. It would work for a family with two or three kids comfortably. The downstairs part is perfect for a teenager maybe going into uni and who might want a bit of separation from what’s happening upstairs,” she says.

“It would also be perfect for an older couple who aren’t interested in the apartment life and don’t want to pay large body corporate fees. The gardens are established and beautifully reticulated as well.”

As you’d expect with a place like this, the interest so far has been quite high – and has come from all over the world.

“We’ve had a lot of interest already from people on overseas postings looking to move back to Canberra. It’s been pretty popular, but obviously not a lot of people can afford the expected $2 million price tag,” Louise says.

Regardless it’s been a busy campaign – we’ve got one person flying in next week from interstate and another from Singapore as well. These days people tend to not think ‘Kingston houses’ but rather ‘Kingston apartments’ – so we’ve been making sure that people know that there are still many beautiful houses in the suburb.”

Alongside the interest as well as the prestigious address, expectations for a large sale at auction are high.

“We’re expecting a large sale price yes. To go underground and get all the heritage approvals is a real pain, so the effort that’s gone into maintaining and restoring the place is pretty phenomenal,” Louise says.

“For example the garage door has facade rules which the owner adhered to – but you almost need a degree in ‘heritage-listed requirements’ to make sure you’re not breaking any rules! The owners have done that perfectly, though. To get a free-standing house like this without any easements, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything like it.”

51 Kennedy Street, Kingston will be auctioned on Saturday 4 May 2019, through Belle Property Kingston. To arrange an inspection contact Louise Harget (0412 997 894) or Dan McAlpine (0401 005 282) or click here.