TARANA is the Persian word for a song. It’s an appropriate name for this grand 1889 marine villa on the northern tip of Potts Point once owned by the musical McQuade family.

Apartment 2 was sold recently within two days by Richardson&Wrench’s Greg McKinley, Andrew Hoggett and Penny Timothy.

The villa was subdivided into individual apartments in 2001 with its main rooms elegantly conserved.

Apartment one is the upper-storey apartment.

Apartment two, recently sold, comprises levels one and two. It incorporates Parisian-inspired, chevron-shaped, blonde parquetry, light sculptures, Carrera marble floors and bathrooms, tessellated tiles and Palladian-proportioned rooms linked to views, the outdoor entertaining area, garden, lawns and pool.

Apartment three is the former grand ballroom with its magnificent stained-glass ceiling and chandelier.

Like its buddy building next door, Bomera, both were owned by the McQuade family who were theatre impresarios and owners of Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Tarana was also the scene of great parties and had its own pipe organ. It played host to many overseas musical stars performing in Sydney’s 19^th century gaslight theatres.

It was originally built as a private house in 1889 for Arthur Frederick Hale (“Fred”) McQuade after the death of William McQuade and sub-division of his Potts Point estate in 1885.

Its opulent architecture was probably designed by Edward Harman Buchanan with the builder John Alexander Oag. It later became the Ashford Ladies College between 1890-95 but then reverted to a private residence in the early twentieth century. Major modifications in 1907 included the third-storey addition when the ballroom extension, portico, bathing house and boathouse lapping the harbour were also built.

By 1910, the entire McQuade property had been acquired by the state government and in 1911 Cowper Wharf Roadway was constructed.

In 1917 Tarana was acquired by the Sydney Harbour Trust and subdivided into flats.

In June 1941 during the height of World War II it was compulsorily acquired by the Commonwealth Government for Naval Fleet Headquarters but was then sold off 60 years later in 2001 as part of the Navy’s de-acquisition of assets as surplus to requirements.

Unsurprisingly, it is heritage-listed by the City of Sydney Council, the NSW Heritage Office and the Register of the National Estate for its significance.

They note:” Tarana is significant both historically, socially and aesthetically as a rare remnant of the marine villas sited relative to the water creating the prestige residential status of the Potts Point peninsula in the nineteenth century.”

It retains its grace and space, two crucial ingredients of a mansion.

By Andrew Woodhouse, Heritage Solutions