Darlinghurst Blog: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street Part Three

Remember the dunny-lane house? Back in February, Federal Court judge Dennis Cowdroy's company submitted a development application to build a house on this narrow, 2.6m wide dunny-lane off Caldwell Street:

Justice Cowdroy had purchased the 48sqm site for just $1 from a grazier, John Robison who had unknowingly inherited the title. The site - once used by dunny-men to collect residents's toilet-buckets - backs on to three Surrey Street homes and not surprisingly, those owners did not want a house wedged in their backyards. 

Well, on Monday night the City of Sydney council voted nine to one in opposition to the development, based on the loss of heritage, the floor to space ratio violation and ''bad design destroying amenity'', according to residents who attended the meeting. The council's Lord Mayor Clover Moore rightly summed it up by saying, ''this is basically a bad design trying to be shoe-horned into a very special part of Darlinghurst.''

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The End

Darlinghurst Blog: History: 28-30 Surrey Street

A few weeks ago I received an email from a reader, who has been living in Darlinghurst on and off for the past 24 years, and was very curious about the history of ''Darlinghurst Place'', at 28-30 Surrey Street. 

The reader said she heard it was a garage in the 1970s, stables at the turn of the century, a bakery at some other point, and also once belonged to a man called Mr Hickey. 

I have walked past the place countless times when I used Surrey Street as a shortcut between Elizabeth Bay and Darlinghurst, and I had just assumed it was an old stable. 

But the reader aroused my curiosity and I set off at once to investigate, discovering along the way that the site has a very interesting history.

The titles for 28 and 30 Surrey Street are presently owned by Willpower Pty Ltd, a company directed by developer William Winterton, who has his offices on the left side of the building, fronting the street. Willpower purchased the two buildings in the 1980s and 1990s and I must assume - for I cannot be certain - that Winterton restored the site into apartment blocks - called The Mews, The Bakery and The Gatehouse (below) - and gave it the name, Darlinghurst Place. 

The right side of the street-facing building is leased by the Masuda Gallery, which according to its website specialises in ''Japanese vintage and contemporary textiles, works on paper and other decorative arts.'' The gallery is run by Masako Masuda and began exhibiting in June last year.

As for its history, the first mention I can find is back in February 1887, soon after the site was developed, when an advertisement was placed in the Sydney Morning Herald:

''New shop and dwelling to let, adjoining Messrs Hickey and Cahill's new Darlinghurst Bakery. First class locality. Apply Messrs Hickey and Cahill.''

In March and April of 1904 and November 1906, the buildings at 28 and 30 Surrey Street were again listed for lease in The Sydney Morning Herald:

''No 28 - A Shop and Dwelling, with awning and balcony in front, and containing shop, five rooms, bathroom, kitchen and washershed.

No 30 - The Darlinghurst Bakery, Business Premises, with awning and balcony in front, and containing shop, six rooms, kitchen, bathroom and wash-house; detached commodious Bakery, comprising bakehouse (fitted with three ovens), bread-room and feed-room, with large flour loft over, and stabling (75 stalls), cart-shed.''

But it seems Mr Hickey stayed on at Surrey Street, for in September 1919, there was an obituary for a Mr O'Loughlin who ''died at the residence of his sister, Mrs David Hickey, Darlinghurst Bakery.''

There's not much to be found on David Hickey in the archives, except for another brief mention in  November 1906 when he and George Brown of Barcom Avenue nominated Phillip Henry Morton of Roslyn Avenue for the council elections in the seat of Bligh.

In August 1922, David Hickey also advertised for a ''strong lad for bakehouse, willing to learn trade, apply 9 O'Clock.''

And in May, 1925 a Miss Hickey of 30 Surrey Street offered a reward for ''four, one pound notes, lost between Darlinghurst and Waverley.'' 

How strange. I wonder if anyone ever handed in the money? 

Others who listed 28 and 30 Surrey Street as their address -  from 1910 to the late 1940s - include a Mr D Levy (at 30), Mr JD Fitzgerald (at 28, in 1910), John McDonnell (at 28, in 1921) and Mr LE Ball (1948). 

I suspect David Hickey died sometime in the 1940s, because in July, 1949, this advertisement appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald:

"Wanted to Rent or Buy, Cottage of Shack, close to water, reasonable distance Sydney. M Hickey, 30 Surrey Street, Kings Cross.''

And the following year, in July, this same M. Hickey placed another advertisement, which indicates he was packing up the bakery and moving to his new place by the water:

''For Sale: Elevator (dough) suitable for produce store or goods elevator, 100 Pounds.''

In the meantime, during the mid-1940s, a confectioner called Shevel Alexander moved into the building above. 

The Russian-born Shevel, also known as Sasha, inherited the confectionary business from his father, Leo Zapolsky (also known as Leo Alexander), who died in 1936. The family migrated to Australia from Manchuria in the 1920s.

In 1947, according to newspaper archives, the chocolate manufacturing operations were located at Oswald Lane. This little laneway runs from Womerah Avenue to Hickey Lane (named after the baker), but after looking at old maps, I believe the site of Alexander's Chocolates was actually at 28 Surrey Street. 

Here's a map from today and - correct me if I'm wrong - if you compare it to the next map, it looks like the chocolate factory was part of 28-30 Surrey Street:

Old map, showing Alexander's Chocolates on Hickey Lane:

In November 1947, Shevel advertised for ''Chocolate Packers. Girls, experience not necessary. Good wages and conditions. No Saturday work. Shevel Alexander Pty Ltd, on Oswald Lane, Darlinghurst.''

The Alexander family was big in the world of confectionary and Shevel also inherited the Peter Pan milk bar on Hunter Street, in the city, as well as a chocolate shop in George Street, next door to the Civic Theatre, also in the city. 

Life should have been sweet for Shevel, but in 1948 he suffered a setback:

Shevel's downfall made national headlines in July 1948 when a judge described the chocolatier's tax evasion as the worst ''to come before a court for many years''.

Tax investigators seized books and other documents during raids on his Bundarra Road, Bellevue Hill home, and his various businesses, which ''made it obvious that his account books were unreliable and did not disclose his true income.''

According to court reports, Shevel had understated his net income for the financial year 1944-45, by at least 1574 Pounds and for the following financial year, by 1075 Pounds. 

Shevel was fined 100 Pounds and ordered to pay 400 Pounds to the Taxation Department for each charge.

I don't know what happened to Shevel after that and here the trail of 28-30 Surrey Street ends.

Save for a brief mention in September 1952, when ''hundreds of Kings Cross housewives'' campaigned to have the disused bakery turned into a wholesale fruit market. 

The women presented a petition to the then Sydney City Council asking for the market to be established to prevent ''exploitation of the public by barrow men''.

''Kings Cross is the most exploited district in the metropolitan area,'' Alderman AW Thompson told The Sydney Morning Herald.

''Although there are some fine men among the barrow men, I have been told that some are men with criminal backgrounds.''

Fruit barrow men, corner of Springfield Avenue and Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross, 1933.

From the City of Sydney Archives.

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: News

After a big community push to save Fitzroy Gardens from the bulldozer's path, the City of Sydney Council caved into pressure, announcing at their meeting on Monday night that plans to demolish the gardens in Kings Cross were no longer on the agenda.
''Overwhelmingly our most recent feedback shows the local community is divided on what should happen,'' Mayor Clover Moore said in a press release yesterday.
''Half do not want any changes to the park, while the other half either support only minimal changes or all changes proposed in the 2010 draft concept plans.
''I'm a passionate believer in listening and working with local communities to get the best outcomes for an area.
''While support for the park's makeover was strong a year or two ago - it's clear that has now waned.
''I believe the best way forward is to preserve the park - to keep it just they way it is with only some vital heritage and maintenance work undertaken.''

I'm so happy that Ms Moore finally listened to what was actually the majority of residents, who were opposed to the $9 million redevelopment of the site. If you want to learn about the history of the site and the establishment of the gardens in 1971, visit my post here.
Later this year, the ''vital heritage and maintenance work'' will begin and will include restoration works on the El Alamein Fountain, improved seating and lighting, playground upgrades, painting of the Kings Cross police station and new shrubs and ''floral displays''.

Maybe the change from the $9 million can now go to helping the people in our community who are most in need, such as the men and women who frequent the Wayside Chapel, those who have become homeless and those suffering from mental illness. I don't normally preach like this, but $9 million seemed like such a waste to spend on a redevelopment that would have not only destroyed a part of the area's history, but was not wanted or needed by the majority of the community.

In other City of Sydney council related news . . . a new, amended development application for the dunny-lane house in Caldwell Street has been submitted to the council. The height of the building has been reduced to two stories plus attic and there are some other minor design revisions, which can be viewed at the council's website here.

There has been quite a bit of opposition to the proposed dunny-lane development at 40A Caldwell Street and if you are new to this story, you can read the background on my blog here. Most of the opposition comes from the owners of three terrace houses on Surrey Street that back on to the tiny site, which was purchased by Federal Court Judge Dennis Cowdroy for just $1. Justice Cowdroy also owns the neighbouring Caldwell Street terrace at 40 Caldwell Street.
The story behind the $1 title transfer was covered by The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald, and those opposed to the plans have pasted-up tear sheets from the newspapers to a wall near the proposed site.

The protesters also hung this large banner (below) across one side of a terrace house, which prompted the City of Sydney council to threaten legal action against the owner of the terrace for not submitting a development application for the banner. What nonsense.

Also nonsensical is the fact that there are only two days left to respond to the new, amended development application. This short response period also makes me rather suspicious of the council's motives, as I had no idea there was even a new DA until late last week, and I am rather nosy about these kinds of things.
Last time around, 59 people wrote to the council stating their opposition to the plans. Some of that group have also set up a blog where you can read the latest developments of the proposed development.

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www.onedollardunnylane.blogspot.com

Darlinghurst Blog: Food: Strawberry Cream

The Blogger website that hosts My Darling Darlinghurst was down for most of last week, which meant I couldn't add any new posts. Then my telecommunications company failed me and I was left without mobile telephone or internet access for almost 24 hours from Friday to Saturday. 

It was a very strange experience and made me realise how heavily I rely on my mobile phone and internet access, and also how much I am addicted to blogging. 

So what have I been doing since my last post on Wednesday? I have been here, here and here. And I also popped into Strawberry Cream.

I have been meaning to blog about Strawberry Cream for months, because it is one of my favourite Darlinghurst cafes and I have been going there since it opened about five years ago. I was first attracted to it because it is one of the few Victoria Street cafes that the sun reaches, due to the fact that it is located across the road from the low-lying St John's Church. It is always a good spot to catch some warmth on cold winter days, so when the temperature dropped last week and I desperately needed some vitamin D, I went straight to Strawberry Cream. 

There was a time in early 2010 when I developed a dangerous addiction to cake. Cake, cake, cake: it was all I could think about for three months and Strawberry Cream became my twice-weekly dealer. There are dozens of different cake, cream and chocolate confections in Strawberry Cream's glass display cabinet and I have tried every single one of them, such was my addiction.

There's the signature Strawberry Cream, Strawberry Mousse ($7.20), which I ate in one sitting:

The towering Japonaise ($9.90) that I couldn't finish and gave to a friend:

The decadent St Moritz ($9.90), which I ate over three days:

Macaroons, which Ruby once served for tea:

Petit Fours, which are handy for dinner parties:

The Princess Cake of which I could only mange to eat half:

The Pyramid Cake that I ate straight from the box:

And the Mango Mousse:

The man behind the cakes is baker Geoffrey Reid, who also employs one other chef to help him create this sugar-laden output each day. I think they start work at about 4am or some crazy hour and then work through until about 2pm. These kinds of hours would make me rather snappy I think, but Reid is one of the most friendly shop-keepers in Darlinghurst and is always up for a chat. If you push him a bit, he might even divulge some good Darlinghurst gossip, of which I am always rather fond. 

Reid also subscribes to The Daily Telegraph and The Australian newspapers, so if I don't want to buy the hefty weekend editions (so much paper waste for one person), I simply sidle on into Strawberry Cream to read them over a bowl of hot chocolate. The coffee at Strawberry Cream is good too, but I prefer it when it's made by Fiona, who works the afternoon-evening shift. She is one of the nicest people in Darlinghurst too and has been living here for years. 

My other favourite Strawberry Cream treat is what I call the hangover croissant, which features a delicious fattening filling of ham and cheese and bechamel sauce. There's two of them in the photograph below, next to the focaccias. Yum, I wish I had one now. 

 

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Strawberry Cream

336 Victoria Street

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

02 9356 3122

Darlinghurst: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street Part Two

You may recall how I wrote last month about the proposed dunny lane development in Caldwell Street, whereby a Federal Court Judge has submitted an application to the City of Sydney council to build a house on a tiny 48sqm Darlinghurst block. 

If not, you can read the blog post here.

The development application angered residents of Caldwell Street and nearby Surrey Street, especially the owners of three houses whose properties back on to the proposed four-storey house site. 

Their opposition to the development - and the judge's canny purchase of the land for a token $1 - attracted much attention in the mainstream press, with articles in The Australian newspaper and The Sydney Morning Herald. 

The exhibition period for the development was initially to end on March 3, but the council extended the deadline to March 25. The council received 60 submissions during that period and of those 59 were opposed to the development. There was just one single submission in support. 

According to the council, submissions included residents' concerns about loss of access to properties via the rear laneway and impacts on surrounding residential amenity, including reduced privacy, overshadowing and water run-off.

Submitters also raised concerns about impacts on the heritage value of the dunny laneway and Beare's Stairs (below) as well as inconvenience during the proposed construction period.

City planners will now review all the submissions and present them to the Planning and Development Committee for consideration, which is expected to happen next month.

It will be interesting to see what the committee decides. 

Darlinghurst: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street

I received a message last week from a Darlinghurst resident and reader who was concerned about the ''nasty development planned for the little lane with the beautiful historic sandstone wall that runs behind the terraces at the bottom of Beare's Stairs.'' 

I had seen the development application for 40A Caldwell Street, but had no idea where that address was and assumed it was a development planned for a site with an existing house. I knew nothing about a laneway or an historic sandstone wall, so set out to investigate.

Even if you walk along Surrey Street or use Beare's Stairs regularly, you may never have noticed a large wooden gate tucked away in the eastern corner of this Caldwell Street laneway. I certainly hadn't noticed it. But here it is:

Behind the wooden gate is a landscaped area that backs on to three Surrey Street terraces. It was difficult to see the landscaping, even when I looked over the gate, and under it:

This is the laneway, which was once a ''dunny lane'' that the reader mentioned and you can see the sandstone foundation wall on the right side of the right photograph. The area is about 2.6m wide and runs the length of three terraces at 79, 77 and 75 Surrey Street and has kind of been requisitioned by them to add an extra third of space to their back gardens. So the laneway is actually a private garden now and it is very difficult for anyone who doesn't live in these three terraces (below) to appreciate the sandstone foundation wall. 

The land - just 48m2 of it - is actually a separate Torrens title that dates back to the original 1800s subdivision of this area, now known as the Barcom Conservation Area. Perhaps because of its small size and obscure location, it was never developed. But now, the owners of 40 Caldwell Street (the blue terrace below right) have bought the title and want to develop the space. 

The terrace at 40 Caldwell Street is owned by a company called Specialist Advocates, whose sole directors are Federal Court judge Dennis Cowdroy and his wife, Jennifer. Specialist Advocates purchased the title for 40A Caldwell Street in November last year for a token $1 from grazier John Robison, who had inherited the title. 

There was a well-researched story in Tuesday's The Australian newspaper by Jodie Minus, which details the history of how the grazier came to have the title, which you can read here.

On February 2 architect Stafford Watts submitted a development application to the City of Sydney  council to build a $200,000 four-storey house with three bedrooms for the little site. The house will literally be wedged in to the site, right up against 40 Caldwell Street, which will act as a support wall:

If you look in the above illustration, you can also see how the front of the house will have a 4m high   ''sparrow-pecked'' sandstone ''plinth . . . to complement the sandstone base of No 40 Caldwell Street and provide a suitable backdrop to Beare's Stairs,'' according to the Statement of Environmental Effects submitted to the council. 

By law, there are also no windows on the side facing the backyards of 75, 77 and 79 Surrey Street, so their privacy isn't an issue. The only issue for those three terraces is sunlight and shadow, which is minutely detailed in the SOEE - but I won't bore you with that. And, of course, the loss of some of their garden.

I understand the reader's concerns about the disappearance of the historic sandstone foundation wall, but I frankly did not know about it anyway; it is only accessible and visible to the residents of those three Surrey Street terraces; and finally, there are loads of historic sandstone walls and foundations around Darlinghurst and I doubt the suburb will suffer for the loss of this one. 

Having said that, I really don't think the development application will be approved by the council because it is just seems far too daring and a little bit crazy to want to build a house on this tiny block. Access to the site for builders and scaffolding is also likely to be a major issue and just imagine if a bulldozer or grader or whatever accidentally bumped in to Beare's Stairs and damaged them. The spot would hardly get any sun and would just be a mosquito infested swamp. 

I also think it is a good idea to keep these heritage dunny-lanes as they are a rather peculiar relic of the past. What do you think? 

Interestingly, Mr Robison the grazier also inherited ''dunny lanes'' at 8A Nimrod Street (above left) and 24A Nimrod Street (above right, reclaimed by property owners years ago), which he has so far left unclaimed. 

The Griffin Theatre Company has applied to the NSW Land and Property Management Authority for possession of the title at 8A. The title apparently runs all the way along the backs of houses on Craigend and Caldwell streets, right past the theatre to the kerb. The theatre want the title so they can use the wide footpath area (below - apologies for the grainy night pic) for an alfresco day cafe and night bar. They will add another entrance to the theatre in the wall on the right.

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To view the development application for 40A Caldwell Street, Darlinghurst, visit the council's site here.

The exhibition period closes on Thursday March 3. 

UPDATE: The exhibition period has been extended to March 25.

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While on the topic of heritage, the submission period for the council's proposed redevelopment of Fitzroy Gardens was extended until February 25 - that's tomorrow! Be quick! 

Visit the Save Fitzroy Gardens website, which has an easy one-click-wonder-way to lodge your submission.