NUMBER FOUR MACLEAY STREET

Four Macleay Street is hinged on the history of the area. It is one of the first Art Deco or Style Moderne apartment blocks built in Macleay Street.

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The previous house built at 4 Macleay Street was “Cambrian Villa”. It was occupied by John Neale (1828-1890), a butcher, who went on to become a state parliamentarian (MLA 1864-74 and MLC 1883-90). His villa was a three-storey brick home looking both west and east towards the harbour. It extended to the water’s edge of Elizabeth Bay. An 1884 site plan shows a substantial dwelling with probably a coach house facing Macleay Street with gardens and meandering paths leading down to a wall at the harbour’s edge. It was part of a group known as the “Elizabeth Bay Villas”. Richardson and Wrench’s 1865 auction plan shows various sites along Macleay street for sale including numbers 4, 6 and 8-12. In 1869 the house at number 4 was for rent for £200 per annum but was owned by Mr C Myles in 1877. Number 4 was then sold to David Marks and then Benjamin Marks, owner until his death in 1937. He sold the site in September 1937 for £11,700. In the same week 6-8 Macleay Street was sold for £13,250 and number 12, the current Macleay-Regis site, was sold for £12,275.

Council plans for 67 apartments over nine levels for 4 Macleay Street were approved in January 1938 with the current building completed relatively quickly by about August 1939, one month before World War II began and before building supplies ran dry and tradesmen departed for war. Macleay-Regis nearby had been completed a few months earlier in the first half of 1939. The architect of number 4 was William Tarrant Broome. He had been a draughtsman. Although not registered as an architect, he nevertheless designed a relatively large number of residential flat blocks in North Sydney and Crows Nest in the late 1930s and early 1940s, along with the flats at 4 Macleay Street for Fred Collins (b 1890), builder, and 7 Greenknowe Avenue, circa 1938, and 19 Elizabeth Bay Road. But on 31^st August 1938, the Argus newspaper reported that “William Tarrant Broome, aged 43 years, architect, was charged at the Darlinghurst, Sydney, Sessions Court yesterday, with having forged and uttered a number of cheques in April and May. It was stated that he was allowed to share offices occupied by … an estate agent and to use his stationery, and he assisted by showing clients over properties. He had, however, no authority to sign cheques. The total … was said to be £3,514. The case is part heard.”

The grandson of Fred Collins, the builder, was raised in the building and lives in it today. Mr Collins was formerly a cabinet maker and worked on Old Parliament House, Canberra. He commenced work as a builder in about 1928 and built residences at Vaucluse and then blocks of flats on New South Head Road and in Potts Point. He built numbers 17-21 St Neot’s Avenue, 7 Greenknowe Avenue and then 4 Macleay Street. Unsurprisingly, Mr Collin’s daughter described her father as “a good organiser”.

It incorporates many original features including its textured brick façade, fine, rare Makassar woodwork, chrome handled entrance doors and nameplate with many apartments retaining original Bakelite and chrome door handles, picture rails, bespoke cupboards, mottled glass doors, and bathroom tiling. Timber work was provided by Beale Pianos. Beale focused on working with timbers for various uses suited to the changeable Australian climate. During World War II, production of pianos was suspended to manufacture wooden parts for de Havilland Mosquito aircraft. After World War II, Beale recommenced production of pianos. The business was sold to Palings in 1961.

Number Four was strata titled in 1968.

After eighty years Number Four still adds to the ambience of the area and heritage of its streetscape.

By Andrew Woodhouse, Heritage Solutions