A remarkable piece of Australian architectural history has hit the Melbourne real estate market. The historic Hill Street flat, designed by legendary architect Sir Roy Grounds for his own family, is now available for purchase. The property holds special significance as it was created by the same visionary who designed the National Gallery of Victoria, one of Australia's most iconic cultural institutions.

The property's current owner, Matthew Danos, managing director of James Richardson Investments, has fond memories of the residence that played a pivotal role in his personal life. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Danos invited his now-wife Georgia Geminder to the home for their first date, though he initially kept one detail to himself - that it was the famous architect's personal residence. "I met Georgia during COVID lockdowns; we had been chatting on text for two months because we couldn't see each other," Danos recalls. "We had our first date here because it was when they introduced the singles buddy policy. We sat by the courtyard before she got picked up by her sister at 8:45 PM to beat the 9 PM curfew."

The architectural masterpiece, located at 1/24 Hill Street in Toorak, is the first of five units known as the Hill Street Flats. The building is celebrated for its innovative use of geometry, featuring a distinctive circular courtyard that opens to the sky and includes two sections of bamboo plantings at the center of a square building footprint. As architect Tony Lee described in his book "Roy Grounds: Experiments in Minimum Living," all the primary spaces including the lounge, dining area, and sleeping quarters were arranged in an open plan that "exploded across and around the fully glazed courtyard."

Danos lived in the property for eight years as a single man, and his sister, architect Georgia Danos, resided there for seven years before selling it to her brother. However, the unique design proved impractical for his growing family with wife Georgia Geminder, whose parents are wealthy business figures Fiona Geminder (née Pratt) and Raphael Geminder of Pact Group. "So the last couple of years, since we got married, we haven't lived in it," Danos explains. "I've used it for charity events, private functions, and I've had some friends stay here, but I didn't want to rent it out. And now we've got two young kids... it's just not the time of our life to have it, unfortunately."

The Hill Street residence shares remarkable design elements with Grounds' most famous work, the National Gallery of Victoria, which opened in 1968 as the first major public building constructed in Victoria since World War II ended. According to Lee, both buildings feature unbroken walls with a band of windows at the top, creating a separation between the wall and roofline - a departure from traditional architecture where buildings typically have a series of window openings with walls between them. Both structures also showcase symmetrical arrangements with central entries: the NGV features its iconic archway leading to the water wall, while the Hill Street house boasts a single, oversized door.

The architectural connection extends to materials as well, with both buildings originally featuring similar timber paneling on the walls. While this element remains a fixture in the Hill Street home, it has since been removed from the gallery during renovations over the years. Grounds himself lived in the Toorak flat with his family until his death in 1981, making it a deeply personal creation that reflected his architectural philosophy.

The property has undergone several transformations throughout its history. When cardiologist Dr. Martin Hiscock purchased the home in 2003, it had been modernized to the point where he described it as "nothing special." Determined to restore its original glory, Hiscock spent a year conducting meticulous research at the State Library, searching for the original architectural drawings. His dedication to authenticity was remarkable: "I put the cork wall back in the dining room, found the original tiles for the bathroom - I really wanted to bring back what Roy had done and intended. We even found the original 1950s plumbing," Hiscock recalls.

The restoration was so faithful that when Betty Grounds, the architect's widow who was still alive at the time, visited to see the results, she was amazed by the transformation. "She came in and said, 'Why, it looks just like new,'" Hiscock remembers, highlighting the success of his preservation efforts.

Real estate agent Carla Fetter from Jellis Craig Stonnington, who is handling the sale, acknowledges the unique challenge of marketing such a distinctive property. "In 21 years in the industry, I have never sold a house like it," she admits. "It's very difficult for a real estate agent to value this - what it could be worth for one person would be vastly different to the next. It's like buying a piece of art." The property is being offered with a guide price of $2.3 million to $2.5 million.

The home has attracted significant interest from the architectural community, with designers, architects, and architectural students flocking to open house events to experience something they've previously only encountered in textbooks. "This house hasn't been offered for nearly 20 years, and it's a very rare opportunity," Fetter notes. She has already distributed seven contracts to potential buyers, including downsizers who appreciate mid-century architecture as well as younger bachelors who can envision themselves following in Danos' footsteps and meeting their future partners in this historic setting.

Grounds' architectural legacy extends far beyond this single residence, as he fundamentally changed how Australians interact with natural light in their living spaces. Before his innovations, houses were typically dark and gloomy structures with small windows and very high ceilings that received minimal natural light. "Today, a sliding door leading to an outdoor space is commonplace. Roy made it possible for people to move from inside to outside rather seamlessly," Lee explains, highlighting the architect's lasting impact on residential design.

For Danos, parting with this architectural treasure has been an emotional decision. "It's really a work of art," he reflects. "It's time for it to go to someone who will cherish it and really appreciate it the same way we have." The sale represents not just a real estate transaction, but the passing of a significant piece of Australian architectural heritage to its next custodian, ensuring that Grounds' innovative vision continues to inspire and influence future generations of design enthusiasts.