A secret haven that has housed many creative minds for decades.

Hidden behind overgrown bushes and obvious only to those who know where to look is a piece of Hamilton history with a colourful past.

This eight bedroom villa style house on Memorial Drive is where ideas like the Fringe Festival and the McGillicuddy Serious Party, a satirical political party, were dreamed up.

Vines grow down from the ceiling inside the bohemian haven and musical instruments are scattered around each room, with an open door policy seeming to extend to animals as well as people.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Ema-Rose Stewart, 23, Annalee Anderson, 35 and Eden Heke, 38 are trying to save a historic house from being demolished on Memorial Drive.

Quotes and artwork litter the walls of this historic home that has been a hub of art, music and culture for decades.

But soon, all this quirky history could be gone.

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CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Eden Heke, 38 in one of the bedrooms at Memorial Drive where the vines have become part of the room.

The tenants of 'Mem Drive' received an eviction notice in 2019 and were told the house was going to be demolished, with their final day in the property Tuesday.

Annalee Anderson, 35, first moved into the Memorial Drive house in 2003 and lived there on and off for 12 years.

Now living in Golden Bay she said when she heard about what was happening to the house she wanted to come back to try and protect it.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Annalee Anderson, 35 has come back to clear out the house before being demolished.

"It's been one of the most prominent places in my life, this is home."

Anderson said the house attracted people who didn't fit in with society and offered them a place to try and be themselves.

"This place is needed for people who struggled with their mental health.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Ema-Rose Stewart, 23 has been living in the house for more than a year and said she loves the kitchen jam sessions.

"I know a lot of people who have come through here who wouldn't have gone on if they didn't have this place, it offers hope."

Property owner Grant Griffiths declined to comment when contacted by Stuff.

The impending demolition of the Memorial Drive house is the latest in a series of developments that has changed the face of Hamilton East over roughly the last decade.

In 2009 a developer cut down a number of mature oaks and demolished the distinctive red brick wall on nearby Grey St despite protests from heritage advocates, while the distinctive but earthquake-risk Euphraise House on Clyde St was bowled in 2017.

However, Hamilton's oldest suburb is also in line for new apartment and retail developments in the former Hills Laboratories and Waikato regional Council buildings.

Hamilton City Councillor Dave Macpherson, who was acting on behalf of the residents, said council was only made aware of the house potentially being demolished in the weekend.

His son Nicky Stevens lived at the property for about a year before he died in 2015 and Macpherson was appalled at the possibility of the house being demolished.

"We have lost a number of heritage properties in Hamilton East over the last 10 years or so and this is one of the oldest there."

Jen Baird, Hamilton City Council's city growth general manager said a building consent was not required for demolition as it was a detached building, which was not more than three storeys high.

They had not received any consent requests and were unable to advise if or when any demolition was planned.

She said council had no information to provide an answer on the date of the house and the property did not appear on any heritage list.

Ema-Rose Stewart, 23, currently lives in the house and said even if they could not keep the house as a flat it would be good to turn it into a community centre.

Hamilton resident Mark Servian used to live in the house in 1987 and said it was an enormous tragedy the house was being demolished.

He said it was a hub for the arts community and while there used to be a lot of houses like this around Hamilton, they had slowly started to disappear.

"It's a place where young people can go and be themselves."

A petition has been created to try and save the house and can be found here. However, with a 2018 RV of $1.530 million and a dire shortage of homes in Hamilton that looks unlikely.