Unfortunately, the picture is not so rosy below ground, in the large basement area, where trouble lurks in the form of damp, water seepage, moss, mould and soil contamination.
After extensive assessment from local heritage experts, the Heritage NZ category 1 historic place has been found to have significant substructure problems requiring urgent maintenance to ensure the building’s longevity.
The Star visited this week for a look around with Dhargyey Buddhist Centre fundraising committee members Helen Ingrams and Brent Caldwell, part of a dedicated group planning a major project to fix the building’s problems.
The first fundraising event for this year will be the centre’s annual garage sale, to be held on March 8.
The Mason and Wales-designed building was built in 1878 and later owner by confectionery producer Richard Hudson, and is located in Royal Tce, with a steeply sloping section of the Dunedin Town Belt behind it.
Ms Ingrams said the basement had barely been touched since the house was built, and had an unsealed "dirt" floor which had been coated in pitch from the former Dunedin Gasworks.
Soil testing had shown this to be both very damp and contaminated with lead.
Run-off from the town belt and earthenware drainage pipes from the 1920s, vulnerable to tree roots, were not helping, she said.
"The experts tell us that we need to waterproof the basement walls, and we also need to install drainage trenches around three sides of the building to keep the water away," Ms Ingrams said.
Last year, $45,000 raised by the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre went towards a series of reports, including a seismic assessment by heritage developer Stephen Macknight, soil testing by geotechnical consultant James Molloy of Terra MDC Ltd, and planning by Andrew Barsby of heritage architects Origin Architects.
The centre also has the free services of retired quantity surveyor Mark Burrows.
"Now that we have all of these reports to give us the full picture, the next step is to cost out the work, start putting in some major grant applications and get moving on fundraising," Ms Ingrams said.
While costings had not yet been done, it was likely the project would require significant funds — most likely hundreds of thousands of dollars, she said.
The category 1 heritage status of the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre would hopefully be helpful in terms of accessing grants from major funders, such as the DCC Heritage Fund, Otago Community Trust, Lotteries and Alexander McMillan Trust, Ms Ingrams said.
• The Dhargyey Buddhist Centre will mark Tibetan New Year (Losar) tomorrow, and will be open to visitors from 7am to 11am to receive blessings. Traditionally, this day is dedicated to visiting teachers and holy places to set one’s intentions for the year ahead.
Garage Sale — March 8
• The Dhargyey Buddhist Centre will host a fundraising garage sale on March 8, 9am-1pm, at 22 Royal Tce, central Dunedin.
• Donations of pre-loved goods are being accepted now, and can be left on the front porch.
• The garage sale will feature food trucks and live music by Grant Ramsay and others, and will include vintage clothes, kitchenware, toys, books, CDs, preserves, plants and more.
• Garage sale co-ordinator Brent Caldwell said the event was always popular with bargain hunters, especially those looking for vintage clothing.
"We are looking forward to welcoming everyone for a great day."
