Sata Nita House at Southport, now location of White Lady Funerals
The lovestruck lumber merchant who built a grand Spanish Mission home for his bride-to-be could never have foreseen its fateful future as a funeral parlour.
And what would the World War One veteran make of the roaring motorway that now cuts through the site of his historic Queenslander, since relocated to a parkside location?
This weekend’s Gold Coast Open House event unlocks the city’s diverse history while exploring contemporary approaches to architecture, as 25 buildings spanning more than a century of design throw open their doors.
The historic Ceramic House welcomes visitors for the Gold Coast Open House event. Picture: Glenn Hampson
Executive director Melissa Hoedel said the free event celebrating the Gold Coast’s evolving urban landscape included walking tours in Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta, along with panel discussions on the future of design.
“Gold Coast Open House 2024 is all about getting involved with the incredible design of this wonderful city,” Ms Hoedel said.
“There is some incredible history behind the doors of each building on the Gold Coast. I’m particularly excited by the Sata Nita in Southport.
“Built in 1936 for one of the city’s most renowned lumber merchants, this Spanish Mission-style building holds so much history and attention-to-detail design.”
Sata Nita was built in 1936 by a prominent local lumber merchant for his wife-to-be. Picture: Supplied/City Libraries Local Studies Collection
Ralf ‘Sonny’ Tennant Johnston, who co-founded the Johnston and Freeman sawmill at Southport, built Sata Nita as a bridal suite for his wife-to-be, Lila.
Red cedar was used throughout the home, with the living room floor prepared from a single tree, while a master plasterer from Italy spent six months crafting the ornate ceilings.
Sata Nita was the Johnston family home until the 1980s when it became an antiques store.
From 1994 it has been a funeral parlour, first as Somerville Funerals, then from 2018, White Lady Funerals.
Other historical highlights include Ceramic House at Nerang, an example of an early timber and iron Queenslander-style dwelling, built by Robert Ekin Veivers in 1919 and named after the troopship that brought him home after World War One.
It was moved to make way for the M1 motorway in the late 1990s and restored by community members.
Tugun Hill House is an example of contemporary Modernist design
It is a considered response the the natural hilly site
MORE NEWS
Top Aussie model’s $104k mansion rental
Mega sale makes seller $1.4m in 12 months
Huge interest for Hewitts’ Burleigh Heads dream home
Meanwhile, stunning examples of contemporary residential design include the award-winning sustainable Tallowwood Cabin, an updated version of the classic Aussie beach shack, and a modernist retreat built into Tugun Hill.
Tugun Hill House was the first major built project for architect Josh Watson, of Studio Locale Architects, who said the home took inspiration from its elevated site, maximising beach views while responding to its exposure to the elements.
Tallowwood Cabin designed by Fouche Architects sits amid 6ha of native bushland
“One of the concepts we focus on is the culture and history of a place, and on the Gold Coast, and particularly the southern suburbs, there is a lot of the mid-century movement from motel era we grew up with, so there is that 1970s, 80s feel comes through a lot in Tugun House,” Mr Watson said.
He said the Open House event was an important opportunity to “promote good design on the Gold Coast”.
“We feel a movement of valuing good design and architecture has been missing in such a fast-growing city, where instead there is a focus on mass production.”
English (US) · 