Large, unique homes in Sydney’s inner city postcode are highly coveted, and don’t often come up for sale.
Few are as special as 177 Palmer Street Darlinghurst, which we’ve recently brought to market.
A short history of Palmer Street
While Palmer Street is a quiet leafy residential area today, it has a rich history that dates back to the early colony and beyond.
Palmer Street is named after John Palmer (1760-1833), who arrived with the First Fleet. He was Commissary of New South Wales, responsible for the early colony’s supplies. Palmer was granted 100 acres at Palmer’s Cove, now Woolloomooloo, and 200 acres in Surry Hills in 1794.
According to the Dictionary of Sydney, by the late 1880s, Palmer Street was home to stables and yards, as well as steam laundries and an Aerated Water Factory producing soft drinks. While the wealthy lived on the hill of Darlinghurst, the workers lived on the lower lying streets down the hill towards Woolloomooloo. These became overcrowded and eventually turned into slums.
By the 1920s, the razor gangs were active and Palmer Street started to become a red light area. Just a few doors up the road from 177 Palmer Street was the infamous number 191. It is now an unassuming terrace house but in the 1940s this was home to the main brothel of one of Sydney’s most notorious underworld figures, Tilly Devine.
177 Palmer Street was a mechanics shop for over 50 years before being transformed into a family home in 2015 and you can still see the remaining driveway entrance on the gutter of the footpath out in front.
Today, after an architect-designed rebuild, the house – and the whole area – is unrecognisable.
The property
177 Palmer Street is a truly spacious oasis, offering a luxurious lifestyle just a few blocks from the CBD. The five-bedroom home has a New York industrial warehouse/loft vibe and boasts three bathrooms and garage parking for two cars. It is set in two wings around a central courtyard with a green wall and water feature.
The property was designed by Sam Crawford architects and built as-new just six years ago with a generous 311sqm floor plan hidden behind its facade. It has two complete master suites with dressing rooms and ensuites – one in each wing – and a further two or three bedrooms. With an art gallery hanging throughout the open plan living spaces to to maximise the five metre ceilings, and rear lane access from Woods Lane, it is a truly unique home.
What the vendor says
“We’ve bought and sold through Jason a number of times and, when he showed us this property in 2016, I knew straight away it was going to be my home. It’s a very special property and it has been a great place to live. But now it’s time to move on.”
“We will miss the spaciousness, quiet, and locality. Darlinghurst is so central to everything.”
“There’s a real generosity to the home’s space. The whole floor living area alone is around 150sqm but we have a distinct formal lounge and a formal dining, and the other half is informal.”
“The large windows onto the courtyard and the french doors combined with nine skylights make it light and bright, but it’s also designed to be private. It feels a bit like a cocoon: once you enter it’s very silent, you don’t hear any noise and Palmer Street is a cul-de-sac so there’s little traffic.”
“We’re close to great restaurants – from the Republic Building to Stanley Street and nearby Potts Point. And it’s walking distance to the city, Opera House, and art gallery. Great schools like SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Sydney Grammar, and St Andrews are just a few blocks away, so it would be a great home for either a family or a downsizer.”
“It’s also a very comfortable home. The whole downstairs area has underfloor heating, we’ve put Bang and Olufsen throughout, and all the windows and skylights have protective UV coating.”
“The two separate wings mean it’s been a fabulous home to have guests, and the large spaces have made it a great entertainer – we’ve hosted more than 50 people for a sit down dinner here.”
“I have also used the west wing as a home office, and it’s been nice looking out the window up to the Horizon Building and Darlinghurst.”
Check out 177 Palmer Street Darlinghurst on our website or contact my team for more information.
If you’re interested in buying or selling in Darlinghurst contact my team today.
