Theresa Kompara's Darlinghurst dollhouse shop sold: He Said/She Said

The 225 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst time warp has been sold for $1.34 million to an investor before auction.

It has been the longtime home of the local colourful identity, Theresa Kompara, aka Mrs Christmas, who has tentative plans to head to Melbourne where she still regularly partipates in dancing competitions. She often teams up with Paul Cruddas.

It was her dolls-house. The one with the dolls seeming just gathering dust in the shopfront window for the past few decades.

Inner city eccentricity at its most obvious.

"Bring your hard hat and your architect and check out the potential of this rare property," its Di Jones agent, Jeremy Clinton advised.

It was apparently inherited by the entertainer from a shoe maker and his Tivoli chorus girl wife who took Theresa in.

"She tells us she's 60, but she's been there for a good four decades." he said.

Our property contrarians Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok lament the sale as it represents the further diminishment of an eccentric era in Sydney's inner city.

HE SAID:

When ever I walked passed the tiled shop window and saw the curiousities, I always imagined the life stories that lay behind the shopfront facade. Theresa's eccentric reputation stretches way back, though the highlight for mine must have been when she met Princess Diana at the nearby Dr Victor Chang clinic.

She's been described as a wonderful inner city mix of eccentricity and sweetness.

Theresa taught tap and ballroom dancing to the deaf and ice skating to the blind children. 

She has also been an Easter Bunny at The Royal Easter show for over 40 years.

She was an ice skating champion in the 1960s.

Then in the 1980s an occasional face on Red Faces, Kerrie Anne, Mike Walsh et al.

Her most recent appearance was in the 2007 coming out surf film, Tan Lines.

SHE SAID:

Surely the Powerhouse Museum could add the dolls to its collection rather than see Theresa put them mostly into storage. I trust too her portrait goes off to the National Portrait Gallery.

Set amid Victoria Street's vibrant restaurants, between Liverpool and Burton streets just footsteps from Green Park, the building certainly does present an opportunity for complete redevelopment with its B4 zoning mix for residential and commercial usage.

The 133 square metre holding offers high-exposure with its wide shopfront.