Cliveden Mansions Floor Plans And More!

‘Cliveden Mansions’ after its early-20th century conversion to apartments (above); ‘Cliveden’ as Sir William Clarke’s single family home as it appeared from 1887-1909, without its top floor addition.

Just for fun, we dug up the floor plans to the now-demolished Cliveden Mansions apartment block. It’s an important piece of Melbourne real estate history, if only as an example of a style of living that never quite caught on. 

Cliveden Mansions began life as Cliveden, possibly Melbourne’s largest single family home. The home was built for Sir William Clarke in 1887 and was situated at the corner of Wellington Parade and Clarendon Street in patrician East Melbourne. It’s telling that Clarke chose an established East Melbourne location for his mansion instead of the newly developing semi-rural suburb of Toorak or the seaside location of Brighton. Even his naming the mansion after a century-old (albeit rebuilt in 1851) estate in Buckinghamshire, England alludes to Clarke’s ambitions for establishing an entrenched presence amongst Melbourne’s elite. 

Such ambitions were wrought in 1909 when his wife died and sold the mansion to the Bailleau family for less than a quarter the cost of its construction thirty years prior. The Bailleau family then added a fourth storey and converted the property into 48 apartments, a novel form of housing for the city’s elite. Prior to Cliveden Mansions and a small handful of inner city “bachelor’s flats”, Melbourne bore very few prestige communal dwellings. Taking its cue from New York City apartment blocks, Cliveden Mansions provided no internal kitchens for its residents. Far from a shortcoming, this trait was in fact flaunted in promotional material. Cliveden Mansions’ advertising clearly articulated: 

Kitchenettes are unknown at “Cliveden” Mansions. All meals are prepared in the up-to-date kitchen presided over by a highly-accomplished French chef, and served in the diningroom [sic] by a courteous and efficient staff. The diningroom is soley for the use of tenants and their guests.

For the convenience of tenants who prefer to take morning of afternoon tea in the privacy of their suites, gas and electric heating facilities are provided, and in special cases or emergencies can be served in tenant’s apartments.

First floor floor plan (above) and the communal dining room (below).

By the end of Second World War, amenities such as a communal kitchen and a shared garage and mechanic (another Cliveden Mansions perk) were no longer seen as necessary and the ageing building saw its prestige slip. By 1967, the Bailleaus sold the by then decrepit apartment block; in 1970 it was controversially demolished to make way for a Hilton Hotel high rise. 

The derelict Cliveden Mansions block two years before its demolition in 1968 (photo courtesy of East Melbourne Historical Society).

Click below for more images of apartment block and floor plans for the second and third floors.

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Reinvented Stables Make for Quick Flip in East Melbourne

Located on a cobblestoned back alley behind a row of historic Victorian town residences (one of which being a recent Radical Terrace featured property) in East Melbourne, an extensively renovated brick stables has listed with expectations in the low- to mid-$2mils. The home last sold in a liveable, but uninspiring state in July 2011 for $1.13m. In the last 13 months, the owners have quickly added a third story master bedroom, reconfigured the interiors, and highlighted exposed brick and wooden beams. The property’s CBD-close location makes and massive master bedroom makes it an ideal bachelor’s pad or pied-a-terre. Cheers for good use of glass and a showstopper of a staircase. Jeers for a boring bedroom. Marhsall White agent James Redfern has the listing.

The property as it appeared in 2011 (above) and today (below). See ya later weatherboard!

Click below for more images, floor plan, and listing information.

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A Pre-Land Boom Mansion Hits Market with $3.5m+ Expectations

Despite being laid out in 1837 by Robert Hoddle soon after he surveyed the Melbourne CBD grid, East Melbourne was not developed until the 1840s. Land was laid out for numerous religious and educational institutions (few of the latter still exist) and parkland. By the time gold was discovered in Victoria, members of the city’s growing professional class had colonized East Melbourne as the city’s first prestigious suburb. Jolimont Terrace, the location of the featured property, is situated across from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, initially laid out as a “Government paddock” but quickly morphed into a cricket ground in 1853. And although it is quite clear that the road was laid out as early as 1866 (see isometric view below), development of the street occurred primarily in the 1870s and early 1880s. Homes were constructed of solid stone construction and included prominent mansions (eg. Inveresk, c.1877) and well-regarded row houses. Anecdotal evidence (the engraving at the top of 40 Jolimont Terrace) reveal that the subject property was built at the dawn of the land boom in 1882. Given the terrace’s generous width, protruding bay window, and grand proportions, it was likely not a speculative build. 

The four bedroom home comes with a car spot and a master bedroom with ensuite. More importantly, the mosaic tile in the entry foyer seems to be original (or a damn good re-creation) and is nothing short of stunning. 40 Jolimont Terrace last sold for $1.55m in Aug 2001 and appears to have been renovated around that time. Now, RT Edgar Toorak agents Tim Wilson and Jeremy Fox are taking the property to auction with expectations around $3.5m.

1866 isometric view of Melbourne (above) showing the location of Jolimont Terrace before its build-out. A mid 1880s map (below), showing the present day roads that comprise the Jolimont neighbourhood.

See more photos of the property, floor plan, and listing information below.

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Sky High Pricing in East Melbourne: A $5.5m+ (Attached) Terrace

123 Gipps Street, an elegant William Pitt-designed c1887 4-bedroom Victorian Italianate terrace situated in patrician East Melbourne, is back on the market once again. We’re not sure what it is about this home that lends itself to constant flipping, but in the last 7 years the home was traded hands three times:

1. Oct 2005: $2.15m;
2. Aug 2009: $2.85m; 
3. Jan 2011: $3.1m. 

However, this time, RT Edgar listing agents Jeremy Fox and Andrew Smith have set the pricing bar a bit higher. The duo are seeking outlandish $5.5m+ expectations. The Radical Terrace can think of no comparably sized terrace in East Melbourne or South Yarra to have traded in this range. In fact, based on our research, few single-family homes have traded above $5m (thanks be to tightly-held mansions, the Morgan Family’s George Street abode comes to mind). Let’s have a look at the other $5m+ sales in the 3-0-0-2:

• $5.0m: 99 Hotham Street (a larger, detached terrace), June 2010
• $5.5m: 181-189 Gipps Street (still bouncing on and off the market, this detached home is over twice the size of 123 Gipps), June 2007
• $6.0m: 178 George Street (it’s a mansion, c’mon folks), March 2006
• $10.5m: 118 Gipps Street (yup, across-the-street neighbour sold for a famously high price; then again, it’s one of Melbourne’s most well-known and well-preserved town mansions), August 2007

Does 123 Gipps Street belong in this club? We presume a renovation (of indeterminate date) that brought ‘Casa de Maria’ lots (and lots) of marble, the home’s 2 car spaces, and a location on well-maintained block devoid of apartment blocks have allowed Jeremy and Andrew’s pricing hopes to flutter high. But the jury is still out if the vendors (and agents) get so lucky. The listing: 123 Gipps Street, East Melbourne

Marble.

And more marble.

Few things say “$5m” as well as an uncovered carport. 

Patrician Terrace in East Melbourne Wants $3.2m

East Melbourne was Melbourne’s original prime suburb. Back before the then-newly developed train and tram infrastructure enabled Toorak to become an easy commute to the commercial core of the city, East Melbourne was an easy walk to the chambers and banks in the city - just across Fitzroy Gardens. Not surprisingly, some of Melbourne’s best surviving examples of 19th century architecture can be found in the small suburb, dotted amongst a smattering of 20th and 21st century apartment blocks. East Melbourne’s best blocks are those closest to the Gardens, and this featured property - at 201 George Street - is on a particularly beautiful block, playing host to several Victorian mansions and the grand row of terraces that 201 is part of. The most significant residence on the block is two doors down. 193 George Street was built in 1963, designed by Charles Webb; the same architect behind the Royal Arcade and Melbourne Grammar School. Today, the Morgan family of Roy Morgan Research owns the abode. The home would likely sell well into the 8-digits these days, as would its neighbour across the street

201 George Street, built about 15 years after number 193, is asking $3.2m+ by Nathan Waterson and Mark Robertson of Bennison Mackinnon Armadale. That value is tied up entirely in its restrained, patrician edifice, large lot with garaging, and the grand interior proportions. The interior needs an hearty refresh to maintain its significance.

The listing: 201 George Street, East Melbourne