About the Lodge

A bit about Tony and the Wilson Family

Architecture and design are in the blood of owner Tony Wilson’s family. Upon completion of her Master’s degree in architecture next year, Tony’s niece, Julia, is the fifth generation of architects in the Wilson family.

Tony’s father, Gordon Wilson was the NZ Government architect from 1949 until 1959, when he suddenly died on the streets of Wellington from a heart attack. Gordon was a highly respected architect and his work can still be seen throughout NZ today in the Wellington Public Library, the Auckland railway station, the National War Memorial Carillon and the National Art Gallery. In 1948, he was awarded the NZ Institute of architects’ Gold Medal for his design of the Dixon Street Flats.

After his father’s death in 1959, Tony and his siblings followed their mother, Virginia Smith, to Los Angeles, California where her family resided. Tony attended UCLA University, playing rugby throughout his undergraduate years and graduating with a degree in history. The majority of Wilson family moved to the San Francisco Bay area as Tony, his two sisters and one brother attended graduate school at University of California at Berkeley. Tony received his law degree from Boalt Law School at Berkeley and practiced law for a number of years. While practicing law he and his older brother, Michael, were engaged in designing and renovating Bay Area property. Michael became a licensed California architect in the 1970’s. Tony’s younger brother, Peter, received his architecture license in 1980. In 1982, the three brothers and sister Sara, formed Wilson Associates to design, build and operate small, high quality real estate properties.

Not only a builder, Tony has a passion for food. This passion has led him to work with his sister, Sara, in the creation of various food interests, such as the Pasta Shop, Cactus Taqueria, and Hapuku Fish Shop. Though varied in style, each of these little businesses focus on creating tasty food using fresh, wholesome, seasonal ingredients.