How a nightclub baron turned a gutted heritage building into a sculptural home
As the founders of legendary venues such as Revolver, Cookie and the Toff in Town, the nightclub impresario and visual artist have played a part in crafting the city's cultural fabric, including helping pioneer the notion of the 'vertical laneway' at Swanston Street's Curtin House.
It's little wonder that the risk-taking, style-forward Ipollitis – let's call them the Medicis of Melbourne – extended their vision to their own unique city home: a heritage-listed townhouse smack-bang in the middle of the CBD.
Now on the market, 128-130 Little Lonsdale Street is a singular proposition from a colourful couple.
The grand three-level Victorian-era Leitrim Hotel was constructed in 1888 for the Victoria Brewing Company in the heart of the city's notorious red-light district. It's subsequently had quite the life. A Chinese cabinetmaker later occupied the site until the 1920s, and it was converted into offices in the 1980s.
Monika encountered the building – 'One of the most beautiful in the CBD, and we have a lot,' she explained– purely by chance in 2008. She and Camillo had just finished renovations on their North Balwyn home when a chance left-hand turn driving through the city revealed the 'for sale' sign.
'My husband absolutely hated me for a minute,' she said, 'because we'd just finished this perfect house, and then I went and upended everything again.'
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