Winston apartments, 2a, Ithaca Road, Elizabeth Bay, built circa 1940, are possibly named after Winston Churchill. Sir Winston was the famous British Prime Minister whose strategies saved the UK from being taken over by Nazi Germany during WWII (1939-45).

A grand and noble nine-storey building it contains five ‘flats’ per floor, as they were originally called.

The apartments were probably built in the late 1930s or 40s as they retain various Art Deco elements. They retain many original features including the felt Tenant’s Notice Board, curved chrome door handles, terrazzo-style tiles, feature mosaic walls at the entrance steps in red, green, blue and yellow, dark wood paneling in the foyer and lift and original wooden letterboxes with their Aztec temple motif bezels, a popular motif at the time after recent archaeological Mexican Temple discoveries.

Its architecture is interesting and incorporates curved windows to capture views and natural light and blue feature detail tiles in the vertical brick elements. The original balconies have been infilled. Facing north, its enjoys views of Elizabeth Bay and Beare Park, a pretty, petite park well-known and cherished by locals.

The original plans for Winston don’t show some of the fine brick detailing which may have been designed in at a later date.

Its architect was G. W Phillips who also designed Kings Lynn apartments adjacent at 2 Ithaca Road in 1936.

Coincidentally, another apartment block at 191 Victoria Street, Potts Point is also named Winston and in a similar architectural style.

On 6th February 1958 the Sydney Morning Herald reported a minor controversy: “A man was fined £5, with 1 shilling costs in the Central Summons Court yesterday for washing his car in a public street. George Weiss, of Winston Flats, Ithaca Road, Elizabeth Bay, was summonsed by Sydney City Council for cleaning his car on December 18. A council Inspector said he saw Mr Weiss cleaning his car with a chamois and soapy water. Told he could not do It, Weiss replied: “I am not allowed to clean the car at the flats where I live? Everyone cleans their cars here.” Guilty as charged.

Sydney Council has since heritage-listed this stylish conservation area for its characteristics, with the Australian Heritage Commission also noting that “Elizabeth Bay is the only place in Australia with Art Déco development of this scale and in such a high concentration.”

By Andrew Woodhouse

Heritage Solutions