Historic Darnlee to become auction house
BlueCross has sold Toorak’s grand Darnlee mansion to occupiers who plan to repurpose the former aged care facility as an auction house.
The vacant property, which hit the market in February, is speculated to have fetched $20 million.
RT Edgar’s Antoinette Nido and Jeremy Fox had the listing.
BlueCross announced it outgrew and would cease operating from the facility in December.
Darnlee
On 3580 square metres at 33 Lansell Road, Darnlee contains a red brick Queen Anne developed by manufacturer Charles McIntyre in 1899, which remained in public hands until the Public Works acquired it 50 years later.
The Red Cross occupied it between 1966-1976, when it was turned into a professional development centre (story continues below).
BlueCross purchased it in 1993, later extending it to offer 47 rooms.
The latest marketing campaign targeted other occupiers as well as private parties interested in refurbishing it back to a home; at a speculated cost of over $5m.
The deal comes 18 months since Chemist Warehouse co-owner Sam Gance paid Mark Healey, the son of British billionaire Eddie, and his wife, Kelly, $43.1m for a contemporary Lansell Rd mansion, on 3350 sqm at #47.
Also in 2021, former celebrity chef Shannon Bennett and his ex-wife, actress, Madeleine West, divested #43 to the Zagame family for $24m.
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