The 1964 Fenner House, considered by architect Neil Clerehan as his “most important work” of the period, has been listed for sale.
Located on Domain Road in Melbourne’s South Yarra, the three-bedroom house was designed for retired pastoralist Clive Fenner and his wife, and is recognised as an early and influential example of townhouse design on a confined suburban site. In 1967, the home received the Royal Victoria Institute of Architects (RVIA) Single House Medal.
It was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2016, with the heritage assessment noting its emphasis on privacy, restrained detailing, and minimal building materials and finishes.
The house spans a single level above a garage. A blank, windowless facade provides privacy from Domain Road, while the interior is organised around two courtyards and a rear garden. This arrangement, together with floor-to-ceiling glazing, brings northern light into the main living spaces and creates visual connections between rooms.
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Retaining much of its original character, the home’s material palette is simple, with exposed concrete brickwork used throughout alongside timber ceilings and joinery. Stained rather than painted finishes were used to emphasise the materials’ natural qualities.
The house reflects Clerehan’s interest in “living patterns” and a restrained approach to architectural expression. As he explained in 1984: “I was and still am intrigued with living patterns, actual and possible, and the architectonic expression was and is to me only a frame for patterns. Therefore, I’ve never produced intriguing forms.”
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Clerehan designed several houses with a similar approach, including his own family home, Clerehan House II, located nearby.
The heritage report of Clerehan House II notes, “The resourceful use of space on this confined site and the engaging sequence of rooms make this an exemplary townhouse design for Melbourne comparable to the courtyard houses of American architects Mies van der Rohe, I M Pei, Eliot Noyes and Philip Johnson.”
Expressions of interest for Fenner House are now being accepted. For details, visit here.