Farewell after 55 years – Andy Buttfield and his wife Jo Buttfield at their Lavender Bay home.
A point-blank view of the Harbour Bridge is one of the most coveted outlooks for Sydney property buyers.
But for Andy Buttfield and his wife Jo, it is much more than just a view.
Mr Buttfield was the chief project engineer who developed BridgeClimb Sydney, which opened in 1998.
MORE: Quick turnover for new Bulldogs coach Barrett
Waterhouse unit sells in five days for $5.4m to offshore buyer
Since then about four million people have climbed Australia’s most iconic bridge.
The view can be seen from just about every angle.
The Buttfields have a box seat view of the bridge from their home of 55 years at 35 Bay View St, Lavender Bay.
And Mr Buttfield said he had never tired of seeing people climb up and down the bridge.
“It’s been a phenomenally successful venture for the bridge and the city,” he said.
“I often say, ‘oh that view, you get used to it’, a bit flippantly, but it is very special.”
What a view.
BridgeClimb Sydney isn’t Mr Buttfield’s only impressive pedigree. He is also the grandson of Holden founder Sir Edward Holden and the son of late Federal Liberal senator Dame Nancy Buttfield.
Mr Buttfield said he did not feel a strong connection to the Holden brand, which has been owned by General Motors since 1931, and was not surprised to hear General Motors’ announcement earlier this year that it was retiring the Holden brand and would cease production by the end of 2021.
“From a family connection it’s so far distant that it doesn’t mean that much to me personally,” he said.
“It is the end of an era, but it’s not been Holden for a long time, it’s General Motors.”
Andy Buttfield and his wife Jo Buttfield with dog Alf at their Lavender Bay home.
It is also the end of a different kind of era for the Buttfields, who have decided to sell up and move to their property in Bowral, previously a weekender.
Mr Buttfield said they had spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic at their Bowral home, and moving there permanently was a natural progression.
“This (35 Bay View St) was a run down dump when I bought it,” he said.
“I’ve spent 40 years taking a wreck of a house into something we’re proud to be in, and now the job’s finished.
Dine with a view.
Belle Property Neutral Bay Principal Mark Jackson plans to take the luxury property, set in one of Lavender Bay’s most sought-after streets, to private auction on August 29. A price guide of $10 million has been set for the property.
The impressive five-bedroom home is serviced by a lift to all levels, and includes self-contained accommodation on the lower level with separate entry, and accommodation for two cars.
SIGN UP HERE FOR THE NSW REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER
The post Andy Buttfield, BridgeClimb chief engineer and grandson of Holden founder, selling in Lavender Bay appeared first on realestate.com.au.