October 2025
The amazing Roy Grounds house, Hill Street, Toorak, 1953, is up for sale, maybe $2.5 mill for a piece of modernist history.
I took pic 1 in 2018, didn’t realise it was so unassuming. Bold plan, with a fun use of geometry – a square with all rooms looking into a central circular courtyard, big enough to be sunny in the lounge room. Lovely timber ceiling and built ins, with highlight windows all round. In fact the main bedroom is divided off just by cupboards that don’t reach the ceiling, and no door, making it feel more open. Certainly not built for a big family, Roy and wife Betty had only a daughter.
Added to the Heritage Register in 2001, it had been somewhat altered, but was fully restored by Dr Martin Hiscock after 2003, including I think the courtyard paving. The wild hanging fireplace was however long gone.
B&W pics dated 1978 but must be 1954; the colour slides are dated 1954, one makes the room look cosier, the other shows that there was a front garden.
Grounds reused the whole idea of blank wall, central door, highlight window, projecting roof and courtyards for the #NationalGalleryofVictoria design 6 years later. The house includes 5 units attached down the back, 4 facing north through huge two-storey windows, what a great idea !
The Medal it won says 1954 but was actually awarded in 1964, the only retrospective one when they restarted (hmmm maybe because his profile was super-high by then, doing the gallery ?).
I went to an open for inspection and got some good shots ! It felt very nice inside. I noticed the view out through the highlight windows to greenery was nice, the wood finished felt warm, the lounge was quite sunny (maybe in summer too hot?), and the kitchen was largely intact.
Storey of Melbourne 