Brendon Urlich says he fell in love during a visit to Cromwell nine years ago - and then the hard work began.
He is breathing new life into the object of his affections- the 132-year-old former St John's Presbyterian Church, on the corner of Inniscort and Sligo Sts, in the old part of the town.
Work is well under way on converting the building, which has New Zealand Historic Places Trust Category 2 classification, into a home for Mr Urlich, his wife Kerry and their sons Jaydon (9) and Luka (5).
''Every time I come back to Cromwell, I have to pinch myself to think that we own this church - although you can't really own history, so I'm really looking after it for the benefit of the next generation,'' he said on a recent visit to the town.
As the executive general manager of L'Oreal New Zealand, based in Auckland, Mr Urlich (43) spends a lot of time travelling overseas and says buying the building was part of his eventual exit strategy from corporate life.
''It's unique and how often do you get a chance to buy a historic church like this? ''I certainly didn't buy it to sell it again so will be keeping it in the family.''
The sale of the church and manse was a controversial decision by Presbyterian Church leaders. The Cromwell church and the Bannockburn one were sold to finance a larger church, to accommodate a growing congregation.
The new Presbyterian church, in Elspeth St, was opened in 2006, and the Bannockburn church was bought by the community and retained for its original purpose. Mr Urlich had few links to Central Otago when he bought the historic building but now he has spent more time in Cromwell, he has become a passionate advocate for the attractions of the area.
''I'm proud to have some roots in Cromwell and when I travel overseas I've become a bit of an ambassador for Central Otago.
''When I bought the church, we were living overseas, and had been in Cromwell visiting some good friends. We heard it was for sale and went to look at it on our way to the airport to fly back to Dubai, to see what the story was. And you know how most blokes in a hardware store buy more than you need ... well, it was a bit like that. It seemed worth a crack because we'd fallen in love with it and the history of it all, and then it was ours.''
He bought it for an ''undisclosed amount'' in 2004 and declines to place a figure on what the strengthening and renovation of the building is costing, except to say it is ''several hundreds of thousands''. It has taken several years to get the resource consents needed for the project but now work has begun and he hopes it will be completed within a year.
The distinctive bell tower on the Gothic-style schist building was removed at the end of July as a safety measure, after an inspection revealed some of the wood was rotten. It has been repaired and will be reinstated. The church opened in 1881 and a Sunday School building, also in schist, was added in 1913.
Mr Urlich said the restoration project would be ''sympathetic'', in keeping with the character of the building. As part of the work, the original cedar floor boards have been taken up but have been salvaged to use again. The plaster is being removed from the walls and insulation will be added along with a heating system.
Local building firm Hunter and Craig are carrying out the work and the architect responsible is Adrian McNaught, of Auckland.
''Coming from Scotland, we have a close affinity with the kirk, so it's great to be working on something like this, especially a historic building,'' Mr McNaught said.
''You have to respect that and hold on to the original character, while making it able to be lived in as well. It's a beautiful old piece and it will remain looking like a church. But when it's finished, it'll certainly be warmer inside and will continue to stay up if there's an earthquake.''
St John's Church
• Designed by prominent architect F.W. Burwell and opened in 1881.
• The Gothic-style schist church, bell and furniture cost 1095. Fundraising began in 1874, and events included a bazaar and soiree.
• Listed as a Category 2 building with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
• Sold in 2004 to Brendon Urlich for an ''undisclosed'' amount.
• Used as an art gallery and studio before the renovation project began.
