East Melbourne, Simpson Street 019

The house was built in 1903 by Charles Osborne Luff for himself and wife, Charlotte. They lived there for about four years before selling to William Henry Pither, investor, and later, gentleman. Pither died in 1943 and Annie, his widow, remained there until her own death in 1948. She left the property to her nephew, William Richard Percy Stone, who rented it to Jessie Mary Henderson, until he sold it to the owners of the hospital next door, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. They converted it to medical rooms which it remains still.

The property was obviously highly desirable, though perhaps in a dilapidated state. The Argus described the auction:
"There has been competition for an old house property, 19 Simpson st, East Melbourne, on land 42 X 132 feet, adjoining Mena House Hospital. To secure the property, the representative had to carry the bidding to £10,550"

The Missionary Sisters are a Roman Catholic order founded in Germany in 1900. They first arrived in Australia in 1928 to establish a foundation that would provide a refuge for weary missionaries in Papua New Guinea and other islands. They bought the hospital next door, then known as Mena House, in 1930; and a few years later bought 86 Wellington Parade, around the corner, for a convalescent home. The latter has now been restored to a private home.