Apollo Gate, the 1970s Cronulla spaceship house listed after renovation
Builder Tony Bittar has listed one of Cronulla’s most admired homes, after its eight month makeover.
The futuristic Apollo Gate, the Sutherland Shire's latest waterfront listing, comes with $3.5 million plus expectations having sold snappily for $3.2 million last May.
“If you want a home designed for the rich and famous that will make you feel like a movie star as you look out over the uninterrupted water views, at an affordable price, this is it,” the vendor, builder Tony Bittar, says.
Nicknamed the Cronulla spaceship house, or the White House, it has a reputation that dates back to its completion in the 1970s, with its Reuben Lane design motivated by spiritual and architectural links to Mediterranean villages and with whitewashed buildings clinging to the coastlines.
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It first changed hands for $185,000 in 1978 when sold by the Breen family who owned the Metropolitan Sand Company at Cronulla.
The house at 4-6 Cowra Place has direct access to Salmon Haul Bay.
It featured in NSW Builder magazine, the official journal of the Master Builders' Association, in May 1975 (pictured below). It was built by CH & CR Ellis with spiralling western red cedar ceiling.
Reuben Lane, who died in 2012, was inspired by the work of his mentor Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of the capital city of Brazil, Brasilia.
The iconic home has views of the waters stretching across Port Hacking to Bundeena and Jibbon Beach in the Royal National Park.
“The property’s free form design makes it truly unique. There’s not a visible square angle in the home and its enviable location on the shores of the Esplanade earns the home’s incredible reputation,” said Ray White listing agent Con Economos.
“The property is what we call a one-off’: a truly spectacular home with an unbeatable location,” said Economos.
It’s a real entertainer’s house, according to the owner, who recently hosted a local artist’s exhibition on site.
The premise at 6 Cowra Place in Cronulla offers five bedrooms plus study, a double garage and two car spaces and guest quarters. There's an atrium lounge, an internal spa, and landscaped gardens. Its four bathrooms’ original tiles are sourced from the same suppliers as the Sydney Opera House.