The suburb of Eaglemont in Melbourne’s north-east sits at the centre of the city’s bohemian history. With architecture steeped in mid-century tradition and located a stone’s throw from the Heide Museum of Modern Art (a hub for Australia’s early modernist painters!), the tightly held locale is rich with cultural esteem, and some seriously hot heritage property.
So there will surely be fierce competition for this double storey, freestanding family home that just hit the market!
Designed by architect Michael Heffernan in 1966 in the style of Robin Boyd and Frank Lloyd Wright, this incredible brick home has only changed owners three times in its lifetime. Joceline of Mount Eagle General Store and her husband Jake bought the property for their young family in 2017, citing the distinct architectural features and ‘picturesque neighbourhood’ as the reasons for their purchase.
The house was inspired by Fritz Janeba’s iconic residential designs, dotted through neighbouring Warrandyte. Situated on an elevated corner site, the brick dwelling contains spectacular timber detailing in the form of vast Oregon beams and cedar windows. The ground floor contains a master suite, second bedroom and an open plan living-dining space, with bifold doors opening to a paved outdoor area and vibrant garden. The second storey houses a productive garden and four bedrooms, each with built-in robes and waxed timber floorboards throughout. With an attic, laundry, cellar and double car garage, there is no shortage of storage space. In addition to the established trees surrounding the house, the landscaped front garden flowers all year round!
Since acquiring the property three years ago, Joceline has made minor upgrades throughout, to suit contemporary living, but none impede on the panoramic treetop views afforded by the home’s hillside position. ‘Apart from watching the sunrise from the balcony, our family loves sitting around the huge open fireplace, collecting herbs from the garden and lying in bed watching the birds in the crepe myrtle trees,’ she says. There is even a pasture down the road where children pat the resident horses!
To add another layer of exciting architectural history, the structural engineer for this home was Norman Mussen – who was working on the Sydney Opera House at the same time! A truly historic house, in more ways than one.
See the full listing for 24 Castle Street, Eaglemont here. The home is being sold by Liz Walker and James Labiris at Nelson Alexander by private sale. Expressions of interest close at 5pm on Tuesday 25th August.
