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When Helen and Jack Halliday first saw this 1934 Art Deco home in Balaclava in the late ’90s, they just missed out at auction. Six years later, when the house came back on the market, they didn’t hesitate.
‘We were very disappointed and kicked ourselves for losing such a beautiful house,’ says Helen. ‘When the house came back on the market, we decided to bid for it come hell or high water.’
The couple — former owners of Acland Street institutions Cosmos and Metropolis Bookshop — have now spent the past 20 years making a home here.
‘When we came here, our neighbours on both sides were descendants of the original families, making its history very real to us,’ says Helen.
‘We found an original photo of the family under the floorboards… Still intact, no problems with damp.’
While the previous owners had lovingly restored many of the home’s period features in the early ’90s, adding a new kitchen and bathroom, Helen and Jack also put their own mark on the house: painting the walls in soft tones of limestone green and lilac; upgrading window coverings to ensure they were draught-proof; sealing air vents; and installing an underground water tank.
Although the home has been around for nearly a century, comfort was never compromised. There’s central hydronic panel heating, reverse-cycle air conditioning in the kitchen, a ceiling fan in the hallway, a separate laundry and a security system — all the practicalities of modern life tucked quietly into a home with plenty of old-world charm.
The sense of arrival in this old dame is immediate. A wide entrance opens to a timber-panelled hallway, leading through to generous living spaces punctuated by striking tiled fireplaces in the living, dining and family rooms.
Ample light enters the home from the living room bay windows and the dining room’s glass doors, which open to the backyard garden — a perfect place to spend long summer evenings.
Outside, Helen and Jack also revamped the front garden, planting native grasses, pygmy date palms, sages, eremophila and sedums that bring colour and texture throughout the seasons.
This beloved house has given the couple an enviable combination of history and gardens, as well as easy access to shops and public transport. Now, after two decades, they’ve decided it’s time to downsize, and this beautifully preserved slice of Melbourne history is looking for its next custodian.
2 Albion Street, Balaclava, VIC, 3183 is listed for sale with Skye Jefferys and Sam Paynter from Woodards Elsternwick.
