Brendan Catanzariti says 95 Binya Street is vastly different from modern houses. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Real estate agent Brendan Catanzariti says a rare North Griffith heritage house built before World War II is unlike anything else he has offered for sale in a long time.
The four-bedroom, double-brick house at 95 Binya Street is advertised for sale for $1.1 million.
About 400 metres from the CBD, the property has an attached studio and is known for being owned by two prominent doctors.
“What else do we have in Griffith like this?” Mr Catanzariti said.
“We knock down all our historic buildings and replace them with something new, so it’s hard to find something similar, especially something that’s walking distance to town.
“You look at the ornate designs, the big skirting boards and the high ceilings — they don’t build houses like this anymore.”
The property is owned by GP Tony Floyd and his wife, home-based chef Paris, who lived there for three years after purchasing it in 2020.
Paris Floyd used to cook and sell Vietnamese food from the property. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
In December 2023, the couple moved to the Central Coast and rented out the property as an Airbnb, fetching around $270 a night.
Now settled in their new home and unlikely to return, the couple has decided to sell.
In the 1950s, 95 Binya Street was the residence of famed Griffith doctor Reginald Victor McFadzean.
The house is mentioned in a Griffith heritage study by Peter Kabaila.
“Completed in 1938, it’s the best-known example of an early house built for the town gentry of Griffith. Its distinctive semi-circle and shell motifs make a contribution to the street,” Mr Kabaila wrote.
“This fine double-brick house was built sometime before 1938 for Mr W Donaldson and subsequently occupied by Dr McFadzean, Mr M Twadell and Mrs Gillespie among others … the semi-circle is used as the dominant geometrical form of decoration. Casement windows are grouped in threes. On the front forward wall they are surrounded by rocaille lunettes.”
Mr Catanzariti said it was not really a traditional family home, in that two of the bedrooms were small and there was only one bathroom.
“You could move in as it is, it would suit a professional couple with no kids, but it could be adapted for a family,” he said.
“If you did the work to put an additional bathroom or an extension out the back to do a master bedroom, it might cost $200,000 but you’d definitely get your money back.”
Griffith house prices have surged by an average of 43 per cent over the past five years.
Mr Catanzariti said there were no signs the market was slowing down.
“We’ve had a strong finish to the year. You talk to the solicitors, they’re flat out getting settlements done. The interest rate drops stimulated demand,” he said.
“You look at Collina: million-dollar houses are selling regularly. That’s never happened before. It tells you the market it strong.”
The full listing can be viewed via the Elders Real Estate website.
