• An artist's impression of the completed building at 150 Hurstmere Road, on the corner of The Promenade by the Bruce Mason Centre.
  • Another recent project for Knight Crawford has been the Hellaby’s Butcher building on Hinemoa Street in Birkenhead.
  • Work under way on the building in November. Completion is due early next year.

Prominent Takapuna building gets a new life

Hot on the heels of Hurstmere Road in Takapuna getting a completely new look (the project was completed in late November), the area is getting another boost with the completion in early 2022 of a substantial refit of the prominent commercial property fronting the Bruce Mason Centre on the corner of The Promenade and Hurstmere Road. This property is being developed by owners Knight Crawford who have made a significant investment to secure its future.

Knight Crawford was established in 2017. It is owned by Elliot Knight and Shane Crawford.
“Our business model is simple, risk adverse and not very innovative,” explains Elliot Knight with a grin when we meet him for a chat about the project in late November. “We buy prime but tired commercial real estate with a strong bias towards corner sites in neighbourhood centres. We add value with re-design, then re-leasing and repositioning, always with a long term view in mind throughout the refurbishment period knowing we will be owning the asset well after works are completed – IRD take note!”
In 2020 Knight Crawford acquired and completed significant earthquake strengthening to the Hellaby’s Butcher building on Hinemoa Street in Birkenhead. The project involved a new glass conservatory connecting two buildings to create a new home for Brothers Beer. The renovation has been warmly received by the neighbourhood.
“When the Hellaby’s project was nearing completion in Birkenhead the ground floor of 1 The Promenade in Takapuna was up for sale as part of a body corporate with the Bruce Mason Theatre, owned by Auckland Council’s CCO Auckland Unlimited,” adds Elliot Knight. “It had been sitting on the market for a while and I finally went to have look after walking past it every day for three to four months.
“As attractive as the proposition was for someone – body corporate, vacant retail, in and out of lockdowns and a potential weather tightness issues etc. – it was not that surprising it sat on the market. What people didn’t realise was that following the Bruce Mason Theatre construction in 1996 the council built an additional building constructed in 1998 on the seaward side being 1 The Promenade which had a seismic gap between it and the theatre, making it a completely independent structure.”
In mid 2020, with the support of Stephen Scott of Bayleys, Knight Crawford took a risk and started acquiring units in the body corporate which together form ownership of this building. Subdivision works from the theatre are now complete and Hype Builders are putting the building back together again for occupation early in 2022.
Elliot Knight says an exciting aspect for Takapuna is that opportunities in the building have proved very popular with virtually all the space already leased.
“We are excited to announce that Little & Friday are coming back to the Shore along with a new concept Daikoku moving down to the ground floor. We are also in the process of setting up a new concept wine/cocktail hospitality offering that will provide a more premium but intimate space for locals to gather and socialise than currently available. The upper floors have been converted to luxury office accommodation and are largely leased with the last remaining tenancy being 130 square metres. The interiors are being curated by Stewart Harris of Macintosh Harris and architecture by Ray Van Wayenburg.”
This last remaining tenancy will have access to a large boardroom overlooking Takapuna Beach. The finishes are timeless throughout, with slate tiles, oak flooring, Calcutta marble and w20 steel profile joinery to an incredible four metres-plus stud height.
Elliot Knight explains that on completion of refurbishment works, Knight Crawford manages all of their investments in house with a fully integrated business model.
“We are looking for new talent to join our team next year. We are ready to welcome people with experience in either agency or development management to support us with our next project and management of existing properties in our portfolio. We are also actively searching for new investment opportunities so please get in touch if you would like to have a chat if you have something that might fit our criteria.”
“We all agree that Takapuna needs significant private sector investment and we would not have looked at this opportunity had Grant McCrae not put the investment and effort into the buildings on the other side of The Promenade. With this northern end of Takapuna getting the investment it deserves hopefully this will have a knock-on effect down the road providing us with a neighbourhood that matches the suburb that we can all be proud of. We believe Takapuna has an exciting future.”

For further information on either the office space or job vacancies please email Ashley@kcsecurities.co.nz or visit the Knight Crawford website: www.knightcrawford.com


Issue 126 December-January 2021