Narrow slice of West End history up for auction, possible development

An iconic West End cottage hemmed in by apartments is up for auction, after its owners refused to sell to developers for decades.

The narrow property at 42 Mollison Street was home to Norm and Janet Richards for sixty years, but Mrs Richards has decided to sell after her husband’s death.

Mrs Richards said she has fond memories of the home, which was purchased by her husband’s parents in the late 1800s.

“Melbourne Street was all mud huts – little cottages with mud floors,” she said of the fast-developing suburb.

The surrounding apartment blocks did not bother her, she said, and she still enjoyed the property’s front and back yard. 

“There’s no intrusion – it’s all lovely and quite, we have not trouble with noise,” she said.

Now, the historic home faces preservation or demolition, after it is auctioned off on November 18.

It could remain as a family home, or be razed and replaced with a three-storey mixed development, Drakos real estate agent Chris Kazonis said.

The new owners could also apply for a development to match the height of the neighbouring five-story apartment blocks.

Numerous developments are being built around West End, and the median apartment price was listed as $523,000 in a Savills report.