East Melbourne, Powlett Street 107

107 Powlett Street was built in 1863 by James Nation for Vincent Matthew Wylly (sometimes erroneously Wylie or Wyley). It had five rooms, a kitchen and bathroom and a garden on its western side. 

In 1867 Wylly commissioned James Nation to build a small cottage on the garden site.  This is now numbered 153 Gipps Street.  

Wylly was a compositor who worked at the Government Printing Offices on Eastern Hill. He lived at No 107 while renting out the Gipps Street cottage. 

About 1876 Wylly sold to Carl (Charles) Friedrich Otto Schlemm. On arrival in Victoria Schlemm had established a business as a tobacconist in Bendigo, but later switched his interests to investment in mining companies, and moved to Melbourne. 

During his ownership of the house No 107 was rated as a nine-room house and the Gipps Street house was not listed.  The Sands and McDougal Directories give Schlemm as living at both addresses.  He died in 1891 leaving an estate valued at £18,000, a substantial sum at the time. Amongst his probate papers is a list of the contents of the house.  The list only accounts for the five rooms of No 107.  It seems that during this period the Gipps Street house may have remained empty. 

His wife, Mary Ann, and ten-year old daughter, Grace Violet, initially remained in the house. Mary Ann took in a boarder, Isaac Levenson, a commercial traveller.  Levenson’s wife, who was overseas at the time, found out about the arrangement, accused him of adultery and sued for divorce.  Levenson and Mary Ann married in 1895 at the Powlett Street house.  They soon moved to NSW in an effort to break Mary Ann of her ‘drunken habits’.  To no avail and the pair were divorced in 1904.  Mary Ann died in 1936 and the two East Melbourne houses were sold.

Until it was sold in 1936 No 107 was rented out.  In 1902 Madame Ziske, scientific palmist and clairvoyant, and Miss Graff, Medical Clairvoyante [sic] and Herbalist, both advertised their services. In 1905 Ruby Elliott, nurse, advertised,  ‘Accommodation for ladies; outdoor patients attended’, and later,  ‘SUPERlOR Home and Rest, healthiest locality for delicate and elderly people,’

Next Alfred E Bragge became the listed occupant.  He lived there with his sister Louisa Bragge, his mother Catherine Cobb, his step-father Alexander Cobb and step-brother, also Alexander Cobb.
In 1936 when it was sold the house was advertised in the Argus as 

‘BRICK VILLA 8 ROOMS &c Brick Stables and Outbuildings LAND 73ft 6in to Powlett Street by 59ft Along Gipps Street. HIGH CORNER POSITION Excellent Site Suitable for ERECTION OF FLATS OPPORTUNITY FOR INVESTORS BUILDERS and OTHERS.’

Again, it was treated as one house. This is reinforced by the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) map (1895) which shows the two houses as one building with no wall between them, although each is marked with its own street number. 

Fortunately the houses were not sold to an investor builder but to (Sir) Daryl and Joan (Lady) Lindsay. Daryl at that point was Keeper of Prints at the National Gallery of Victoria, but was appointed director of the gallery in 1941. 

The Lindsays did not move in immediately and the house was advertised as, ‘UNFURNISHED Villa Flat, more like a house, 4 rooms, kitchen bathroom, H W S, garage, small garden, £3.’ The incoming tenant was Clive Turnbull, the well-known journalist and author. 

During this period artist Elma Roach was living around the corner in a converted stable behind 144 Gipps Street.  She produced a small painting of No 107. A black and white reproduction of it appeared in Art in Australia, November 1938, and was titled simply ‘Street, East Melbourne’.  From it we can see that the verandah had already been removed. 

The Lindsays sold the house in 1953. The Argus on 3 October advertised it as ‘2 ATTRACTIVE BRICK VILLAS VACANT POSSESSION of 107 Powlett Street Comprising Lounge Dining room 2 Bedrooms Kitchen Bathroom H W S Garage.’ The after sale description is clearer, ‘107 Powlett Street, brick, four rooms, V.P.; and 153 Gipps Street, brick, three rooms, let monthly; passed in £8500, reserve undisclosed.’

Francis Xavier Mornane, dental surgeon, and his wife, Julie were the eventual purchasers.  Julie died in 1968 but Frank remained there for many more years. At this time the titles of the two houses were split and 153 Gipps Street was bought separately. 

In the 1980s 107 Powlett Street was modified extensively, including a second floor.