Although this building appears as a single house it started out as two small cottages.  On 30 November 1864 John Sinclair notified the Council that John Holmes would build him a cottage.  The Rate Books subsequently listed the cottage as having four rooms. Sinclair followed up on 7 Jan 1867 with a further notice of intention that David Hughes would build him a house.  This the Rate Books described as seven rooms. Sinclair was a publican and proprietor of the Caledonian Hotel in South Williamstown.  He lived in the first, smaller cottage until the second cottage was built and then leased both of them. In 1872 David Dickenson Wheeler, reporter, and later, chief of the ‘Hansard’ staff was a tenant when his wife gave birth to their child.  Sinclair died in 1875 and his probate papers describe ‘two cottages built of Brick one containing 6 rooms + kitchen the annual rental whereof is £60 and the other containing 12 rooms the annual rental thereof is £72’  The two were valued at £1500.  A year later the houses were advertised for sale:

ARGYLE-COTTAGE, substantially built of brick on stone foundations in a most superior style, containing four good rooms, kitchen and servant's room, pantry, and two large attics, elegant verandah In front of the house, and the garden enclosed with neat fence, as now in the occupation of the Rev. Alex. Fraser, at the low rent of £84 per annum. 
And joining the above,
NORWICH-COTTAGE, built in the same substantial manner, and containing four good rooms, kitchen, servant's room, and pantry, let to Mr. George Smibert at £60 per annum. 
The above properties are delightfully situated, fronting the Yarra and the new Government-house.
[Argus, 3 May 1976, p.2]

John Howard, gentleman, was the purchaser and on 13 June 1877 he submitted his intention to build an additional storey to the two cottages. Henry Yeo was to be the builder. Howard lived in the first, smaller cottage until his death in 1909. Both houses were described in his probate papers as being in very bad repair, not having been touched for 25 years.

After this time the houses were used as rooming houses and flats until being converted into one address and used as offices. Since 1988 the building was the headquarters of the Victorian Cricket Association, now known as Cricket Victoria, until 2018, when the building was sold for $17,049,999 [realestate.com]