19 March 2021:
Very impressive flats in my street, and equally impressive #gumtrees, a great combo. This is one of the many #StKildaFlats made out of older buildings. This started out as a pair of very spacious 12 room three storey #terracehouses, possibly built as early as 1863, known as “Lansdown Place (1 and 2). By 1896, after the wealthy had mainly moved on from St Kilda, they were known together as ‘Llanberis’, with rooms to rent, with ‘stabling and hot baths’. In 1920, they were advertised for sale as a pair of larger 12 rooms houses used as flats, but also noting that they could be “converted to large, modern residential flats”. Perhaps soon after that was exactly what happened – the verandahs were replaced, a stair put in the front, and each floor became two flats, with some of the Victorian details inside retained. The rear wings also became separate flats, two on each side. Real estate listings call it St Margaret’s now. The front ones are very tightly held, none sold since 2016 ($815,000 even back then), and sometimes they have lunches in the front yard (I barely know my neighbours). Update March 2023: I do know a lot of my neighbours now.
Storey of Melbourne 