Heirs to two of Melbourne’s wealthiest dynasties, Georgia Geminder and Matthew Danos, are selling their Sir Roy Grounds-designed Toorak masterpiece, the hidden modernist house that inspired the National Gallery of Victoria.
Beauty entrepreneur Georgia Danos and her husband Matthew, boss of one of Australia’s largest private investment firms, are selling their remarkable Toorak home, designed by Sir Roy Grounds, the visionary behind the National Gallery of Victoria.
The couple, whose families are among Melbourne’s wealthiest dynasties – Pact Group’s Geminders and James Richardson Group’s Mandies – have listed their 1950s home at 1/24 Hill St, built by Grounds for himself and his wife Betty with a price expectation of $2.6 million to $2.8 million.
Behind its modest brick facade, the house hides a circular courtyard with glass walls at its center – a design that Grounds later echoed in the NGV – and is considered one of Australia’s most important modernist works.
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“Sir Roy lived here and worked at a desk in the back bedroom, where he designed the NGV,” Danos said.
“You see the echoes in the proportions, the rooflines and that central courtyard.
“It’s a moment in history that you can literally live in.”
An aerial view of 24 Hill St, Toorak, the 1950s circular plan residence created by Sir Roy Grounds as a prototype for his iconic NGV design.
The perfect square surrounding a circular courtyard reflects Grounds’ obsession with geometry, a rare modernist gem that has been untouched for seventy years.
Georgia and Matthew Danos with their newborn Richie Photo: Instagram
Georgia, founder of clean beauty label Gem, said the house shaped her eye for design.
“There is a silence that never fades,” Ms. Danos said.
“The light moves differently every hour. It is timeless.”
The minimalist kitchen reflects Grounds’ belief in functional beauty, combining original 1950s craftsmanship with understated modern updates.
One of the serene bedrooms in Georgia Geminder and Matthew Danos’ modernist Toorak home, designed to frame views of the central courtyard.
A recent measurement found that the house’s square footprint was just 0.01 inches away from perfection, a testament to Grounds’ obsession with geometry and proportion.
Jellis Craig Stonnington director Carla Fetter said the property had already attracted a lot of interest from collectors and architecture enthusiasts.
“It’s like selling art,” Ms. Fetter said.
The Geminder-Danos couple, heirs to two of Melbourne’s great dynasties, are preparing to hand over their Sir Roy Grounds home to new administrators.
At night, the house glows through the curved glass walls, while the circular courtyard casts soft light over Sir Roy Grounds’ masterpiece.
The custom-made wine cellar beneath Toorak’s home references the couple’s love for entertaining, discreet luxury in a monumental example of architecture.
“It’s been in one family for 20 years and the next keeper will understand what it represents.
“Opportunities like this don’t happen anymore in Toorak.”
The Danos family has celebrated milestones here — including their first date, proposal and engagement party — but says it’s time to hand the keys to a new custodian.
“We’ve cherished it for years,” Danos said.
“But it deserves someone who will love and protect it for the next generation.”
Expressions of interest close on October 28 via Jellis Craig Stonnington.
Grounds’ original study, in which he outlined early concepts for the NGV, remains a defining feature of the historic house at 24 Hill St Toorak.
A second bedroom overlooks the private courtyard, combining mid-century design with the timeless tranquility that defines the Geminder-Danos Toorak estate.
Representing the next generation of Melbourne’s elite, Georgia Geminder and Matthew Danos are preparing to sell their NGV-inspired Toorak masterpiece.
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