Mansion built on late Lady Susan Renouf’s Struan House in Toorak listed for $17.5 million

The new Struan Street house contains 1056 square metres of internal area.

A Christopher Doyle designed mansion which replaced late Lady Susan Renouf’s Struan House, in Toorak, has been listed for sale asking $17.5 million.

In Struan Street, a wide, tree-lined row between Orrong and St Georges roads, EMOC Constructions only recently completed building it.

A pool at 13 Struan Street, Toorak, which replaced Struan House.

Over three levels, with 1056 square metres of internal area, 13 Struan Street includes five bedrooms each with a marble ensuite, formal lounge and dining, both with open fireplaces, full width hostess kitchen with butler’s pantry, five car garage, gymnasium, library, study, 13-seat theatre and wine room able to store 1,800 bottles.

The 780 square metre block is also configured with an alfresco entertaining area and pool.

The kitchen and informal meals area at 13 Struan Street, Toorak overlooks the alfresco entertaining area and pool.

RT Edgar’s Michael Ebeling and Mark Wridgway are representing the vendor who acquired Struan House in February, 2017, originally with the intention of living in the replacement home.

Lady Renouf (pictured, top, in a 2014 interview when the VRC turned 150) outlaid $1.85 million in 2005 for the former three bedroom home built across one level over a garage.

The socialite lived in a couple of Australia’s fanciest streets including locally, in Monomeath Avenue, Canterbury and in Sydney’s Point Piper, on Wolseley Road.

Born and raised in Melbourne’s bayside Brighton, the identity died at Malvern’s Cabrini Hospital on July 15, 2016 – her 74th birthday.

New Toorak homes as valuable as the historic ones: agents

The French Provincial design of 13 Struan Street resembles the Heyington Place, Toorak manor tennis star Lleyton Hewitt and his wife Bec purchased off-the-plan from Royale Constructions in 2016 for $12.7 million.

Several new Toorak homes – not on particularly large blocks – traded for eye-watering prices in recent years, agents saying many buyers prefer them over historic ones.

Architect Christopher Doyle sold one last September: 1 Torresdale Court, a property once owned by Jason Donavon on a 604 square metre block, exchanged for c$8.5 million following a comprehensive renovation (when this home hit the market a fortnight earlier, the guide was about $8 million).

Also seven months ago, prestige builder Chris Holland banked $10.6 million selling a new home on a 520 sqm block in Albany Road – considered Melbourne’s most exclusive street.

In 2017, a Myvore Court residence also just built by Mr Holland, on 790 sqm, traded for $16 million.

A new four-storey dwelling on a 655 sqm parcel at 2 Chastleton Avenue exchanged for $13.4 million 10 months ago.

Typically contemporary homes include basement garages and can be designed over three levels to look like two.

The cost to build them in Toorak sometimes comes in at eight figures: Daniel and Danielle Besen’s house designed by Woods Marsh at 9 Towers Road (pictured right), on the north-west corner of Lansell Road, is speculated to have cost about $22 million (this distinctive property sold for $26.25 million in 2016 temporarily setting a record for a Victorian residence).

Soft drink entrepreneur turned developer Harry Stamoulis reportedly spent $70-$100 million between 2014-2016 constructing another landmark mansion, at 39 St Georges Road – a holding for generations held by the Baillieu family.

Similarly, developers such as Venise Reilly have been spending on the fit-out of premium quality apartments in the suburb: last May a 320 sqm Washington Street flat with a four-metre vaulted ceiling sold for more than $7 million.

Lady Renouf paid $1.85 million for Toorak’s historic Struan House (pictured above and bottom) in 2005.
Images of inside Struan House when it was marketed for sale in 2017 – the year after Lady Renouf died.

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Marc Pallisco

A former property analyst and print journalist, Marc is the publisher of realestatesource.com.au.