Elwood's 1890s Trefusis trophy home sets suburb record
The top sale around the nation on the weekend was in Melbourne's Elwood where $6.55 million was paid for the 1890s property at 6 Dickens Street, Trefusis.
It was sold by interests associated with DFO founder and former chief executive Geoff Porz.
Agent Abercromby's were saying $5 million plus which set it on course to better the $4.84 million record set recently on Byrne Avenue with a Federation home with extension.
Trefusis cost $3.5 million in 2009 before its renovation.
It was announced as on the market at $5.1 million.
The house was designed by Ernest W M Crouch, a fine example of Melbourne's boom-style architecture, incorporating traits of both Victorian and Queen Anne.
It was in the late 1850s that the successful architectural partnership of Crouch & Wilson was established and when the original principals died in the late 1880s the partnership continued under their respective sons until 1916.
Trefusis was built in the grounds of the Crouch family holding for Margaret McCutcheon who was a relative. Other owners have included architect Sydney Wigham Smith Jnr between 1904 and 1919. It was for some time a rooming house.
Trefusis had been offered with $3.5 million to $3.85 million hopes inn early 2011 in its unrenovated state, though with development permissions in place for its renovation on the 1,440 square metre block.
Dickens Street is the site of the Urban Inc residential development project, Canopy being undertaken by Danny Ciarma and Tim Gurner on a site that cost $5.75 million earlier this year.
Other recent prestige Elwood sales included Honfluer which was bought for $3.88 million by Matt Keenan and Christine Lacy.