Heritage mansion a rare piece of Melbourne’s architectural past
A rare John Beswicke-designed mansion in Hawthorn East has hit the market for the first time in over 50 years.
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Just over a dozen of John Beswicke’s residential designs remain today. So, when one of his unique heritage mansions resurfaces after more than half a century off the market, it’s enough to turn some history-lovers’ heads.
A rare piece of Melbourne’s architectural past is 13 Harcourt St, Hawthorn East—previously known as Tudor House or Hilton House—which is listed for the first time in 52 years with Davide Lettieri and Nikki McCarthy of Marshall White Boroondara.
Beswicke certainly influenced Melbourne’s built environment, designing hundreds of public and private buildings between the 1870s and 1915.
A prolific designer, he is credited with creating approximately 300 buildings, including more than 200 houses, 44 commercial buildings, 14 churches, 11 hotels, nine banks, and six town halls including prominent spaces such as, Brighton Town Hall, Malvern Town Hall, Essendon Town Hall, Dandenong Town Hall, and Hawthorn Town Hall.
He called Hawthorn home, specifically Harcourt St in Hawthorn East, where he and many of his family resided. Of the houses he designed in the coveted street, 14 still stand, including Rotha, his own home at 29 Harcourt St.
In March last year, number 35 made headlines when the impressive manor named Charlton set a new street record. The restored circa-1882 Hawthorn East home on 3422 sq m with Paul Bangay gardens was set to become the suburb’s first sale above $20 million, but only just missed the mark at $19,986,888.
Before that exchange, the previous benchmark for the street was $19.5m, set in 2022 with the sale of Ellerslie, a 3340sq m estate at 16 Harcourt St.
Today, the smaller but no less impressive residence at 13 Harcourt St, which is 2114 sq m and has a price guide of $13.25 million, is on the market.
Completed around 1875, the solid brick Victorian residence features a unique chateau-inspired facade and retains many of its period finishes by Beswicke.
The home is framed by lush private parkland gardens with a fountain, rolling lawns and a backyard pool.
Beyond the elegant castle-like exterior, there are voluminous interiors, including an impressive double-arched entrance hall featuring oak parquetry floors and leadlight windows. At the front of the floor plan sits a vast sitting room with a marble fireplace and a stately library with a gas fireplace and walls of bookshelves.
The showstopper is the grand former ballroom, now a combined living and dining area. It has a double-height timber-lined vaulted ceiling, yet another marble fireplace, and arched French doors opening out to the lush north-facing grounds.
The contemporary kitchen, which also spills out onto the yard, has stone bench tops, an integrated fridge/freezer, a meals area, and a hidden laundry.
On the ground floor a self-contained wing features a bedroom with ensuite and sitting area, ideal for a primary suite or guest quarters with direct access to the gardens.
On the first floor, three more bedrooms have built-in wardrobes. They share a full family-friendly bathroom and a balcony overlooking the large front lawn.
Outdoors, there is ample room for entertaining beside with a stone terrace and solar-heated pool.
Despite its 150-year-old status, the property also features many modern conveniences such as an alarm, ducted heating, reverse-cycle air-conditioners, irrigation, storage and multiple car spaces.
The Hawthorn East home is close to Auburn amenities and station, Burke Rd trams, sought-after schools, and Rathmines Reserve.
13 Harcourt St, Hawthorn East, is on the market via private sale with Marshall White Boroondara and has a price guide of $13.25 million.
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The Sydney developer-builder, which typically retains its projects, is offering 54 residences off the plan on Spencer Street, with prices starting at $3.9 million.
HSN Property Group has launched Maison Jolene in Rose Bay, giving buyers a rare opportunity to purchase off the plan from a developer-builder that has spent more than two decades building a predominantly build-to-hold portfolio in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. HSN values that portfolio at $4 billion.
Located at 2–16 Spencer Street, Maison Jolene comprises 54 residences, including house-sized two- and three-bedroom apartments, sub-penthouses and penthouses. Prices start at $3.9 million, according to HSN, with many residences designed to capture views across Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.
James Nixon, head of projects at The Rubinstein Group, is handling the sales campaign alongside agency founder Gavin Rubinstein. He says the launch is an unusual opportunity for buyers who have followed the developer’s work.
“HSN is renowned for building entire projects and rarely selling a single apartment to the open market, so Maison Jolene really is a first for potential buyers who have been following the brand across previous projects,” Nixon says.
HSN worked with architecture practice MHN Design Union and interiors studio The Unlisted Collective on the development. A rhythm of arches and deep-set openings gives the building its presence on Spencer Street, while the residences are positioned to make the most of natural light, privacy and outlook. Landscaping frames the arrival and carries through to the shared outdoor spaces.
“Maison Jolene was conceived to bring a touch of European elegance to Rose Bay, drawing on the understated charm of Mayfair and the romance of Paris while remaining grounded in the relaxed character of Sydney’s eastern suburbs,” says Rafi Assouline, founder and director of HSN Property Group.
The apartments were designed with established Rose Bay downsizers in mind. Large kitchens, generous storage and flexible living areas are intended to ease the move from a family home, with layouts that can also accommodate families and professionals looking for more space in an apartment.
The shared amenities are designed as an extension of those homes. Residents will have access to a lounge, private dining room and landscaped alfresco entertaining area. A wellness retreat brings together a magnesium pool, cold plunge, sauna, steam room and heated stone recovery bench, alongside a gym and dedicated space for Pilates and yoga.
Inside the apartments, the curves of the façade recur in the cabinetry and balustrades. Custom wall sconces, tapware and patterned parquetry sit alongside carved marble basins, hammered-glass shower screens and recessed stone niches. Timber veneer wardrobes have leather-clad drawers, while an Art Deco-inspired motif appears in the raised ceiling detail, joinery and built-in velvet bedheads.
“Maison Jolene is at once contemporary and old world, with custom-designed parquetry flooring and an art deco-inspired motif juxtaposing with the curvature of the arched facade, balustrade and internal cabinetry,” Assouline says.
The kitchens bring several of those ideas together in a sculptural, bubble-shaped island. Assouline helped design and engineer the curved form and personally selected the marble, which is bookmatched so the veining mirrors across adjoining pieces.
“With each of our projects, I look for symmetry in design,” he says. “Crafting the apartments is like solving a puzzle of one thousand pieces; one little detail wrong could mean the picture doesn’t translate correctly once it’s finished.”
HSN will develop and build Maison Jolene, overseeing the project from design through to construction. The family-owned company says it has delivered more than 270 homes, has 200 apartments under construction and has a 100 per cent completion record.
“As a private, integrated developer-builder, we maintain close control over every stage of a project,” Assouline says. “We see our projects as collaborative partnerships with our architects, interior designers and specialist trades with whom we have refined a very unique aesthetic, to ensure every detail is considered for those who will live there.”
For Nixon, the developer’s involvement in both design and construction is part of the pitch to buyers. “The attention to design excellence, combined with HSN’s proven track record in delivering ultra-high-end developments, ensures a level of rarity and enduring quality seldom seen in today’s market,” he says.
“To purchase an HSN property is to acquire a property that will not just hold its value but stand the test of time as a timeless piece of Sydney real estate.”
The Spencer Street address puts residents close to Rose Bay’s village cafés and restaurants, foreshore walks and ferry service, with beaches, golf courses and schools nearby. Maison Jolene is now selling off the plan through James Nixon and Gavin Rubinstein.
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