A terrace in Paddington is on the market for the first time in 54 years, housing a lifetime of memories and multi-generational history.

Owner Mrs Szanto, 96, and her husband paid $10,000 for the home back in 1968, with Mr Szanto part of a renovation team which was updating a block of 4 houses at the time.

“We rented at the top of Paddington at the corner of Liverpool and Oxford Streets above the Butcher Shop, Mrs Szanto says.

“When we bought the house, my husband completed all the renovations, including building the kitchen and the bathroom. He took down the wall between the two main rooms on the ground floor, put up the arches, built the stone fireplace and the bar with shelves. He installed the outside fireplace and gardens, including a fish tank set in stone.

“He bought the furniture secondhand and stripped it all back to renovate it. He installed the swinging doors to the kitchen to create an open space, with chandeliers and the crown moulding above.”

 

 

In more recent decades, other homes in the street have seen high-end renovations and refurbishment, with the Szanto’s house being the last in the row with its bygone era on show. The old dual carriageway is now a one-way enclave, while other old terraces have since made way for the surrounding green reserves and council parklands.

While the suburb has changed dramatically, Mrs Szanto says this pocket of Paddington was always known for its neighbourhood feel and sense of community.

“Back then, this was a working-class neighbourhood,” Mrs Szanto says.

“Most of the houses were rentals and there was price setting and rent control, which is why pensioners could afford to live here and rent houses from the government.

“People were very friendly and would take buses to and from work, with people all along the street stopping to always say hello and chat. If I needed a delivery, I would give my key to my neighbour Mary and she would let the people in.

“You would say hello to everybody in this street.”

 

 

Scheduled for auction with price guide on request, the home is going under the hammer on Saturday 20th August, presenting an opportunity for someone else to make their own mark within this pocket of early residences and Victorian facades.

Walking through the house, it’s easy to get the sense that if it wasn’t for the two-level design and original staircase (which Mr Szanto also restored and hand polished), life here would be going on as normal.

“My husband was very attached to the house and wouldn’t sell it,” Mrs Szanto says.

“It has been a very good home for me and has kept me going with so many big family dinners here, including with my great-great grandchildren.”

View: 50 Comber Street, Paddington