Developers buy $4m+ heritage mansion, will turn it into offices

Friday, 24 May 2024

Restaurateur couple Francesca Voza and James Sumner are in the process of selling Eliza's Manor and recently sold Miro restaurant and Mr Wolf bar. Their companies have been placed into liquidation.

The owners of Christchurch’s Eliza’s Manor have found a buyer for their heritage-listed Victorian mansion, after about three years of ownership.

Francesca Voza and her husband, James Sumner, ran a five-star boutique hotel and restaurant in the Bealey Ave manor and made it their home.

The couple have also recently sold hospitality spots Miro and Mr Wolf (which new owners have rebranded The Guardian).

Brooksfield managing directors Oliver Hickman, left, and Vincent Holloway. (File photo).

The mansion, which has a rateable valuation of more than $4 million but earlier had a $5.5m price tag, has been agreed for sale with property development company Brooksfield and will settle next month.

Managing director Oliver Hickman said the Brooksfield team loved the building and would refurbish it to operate as the company’s central city office space.

“We’ve been looking for a base in the city for some time. The space is perfect and will help to get the best out of our staff.”

Hickman confirmed the manor’s restaurant and hotel would be discontinued as part of the refurbishment. It is operating until the sale is settled.

It’s understood the staff have been given termination notices.

The companies that own Voza and Sumner’s various businesses before they were sold have been placed in liquidation.

Voza said no staff were owed money and there were no creditors.

Miro is among the restaurants recently sold.

“I have bought and sold many restaurants… I have worked tirelessly in hospitality for 13 years in New Zealand and opened some very successful venues,” Voza said.

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“All my restaurants have been sold to reputable business owners and are still very successful… all staff were kept in employment.”

Mr Wolf on Colombo St is now under new ownership and called The Guardian Bar and Grill. (File photo)

Voza was behind the popular Francesca’s Italian Kitchen. She and the chef released a cookbook of the same name. She sold the Christchurch restaurant some years ago.

Voza and Sumner were currently overseas at a family wedding, a trip booked about 18 months ago.

“The business sales just happened at the same time,” she said.

The companies in liquidation are Eliza’s Holdings Ltd, The Octopus Furnace Ltd (which traded as Miro), Mr Wolf Ltd and Francesca’s Christchurch Ltd.

Liquidator Brenton Hunt has fixed June 19 for any creditor claims.

Eliza’s Manor was built in 1861 and extensively restored after the earthquakes.

Over the years the house has been used as a children's home, a school boarding house, a maternity hospital, a complex of flats, and a restaurant and function venue.

Voza previously said the Zhang family, who purchased it in 2016, put huge amounts of work into its restoration.

The family worked in partnership with Fred Rahme and Jack Lin of Lime Global on the restorations.

Voza and Sumner partnered with Lime Global to own and operate the manor.

The Zhang family’s company New Oriental Trading Ltd and Lime Global retained a small shareholding (7.5% each) in the company that owned the mansion. Voza and Sumner held the rest of the shares.

The directors of Lime Global declined to comment.