Darling Point's Jean Colvin Cancer Centre sells to Double Bay upgraders

The Jean Colvin Cancer Centre, a historic building in Sydney’s Darling Point, has been sold for $6.8 million plus to the Double Bay orthopaedic surgeon Mark Ridhalgh and his wife, Jenny.

The property first appears in the local council ratebooks in 1874 when owned by the Hon. Edward Butler, a barrister and politician who was born in Ireland and migrated to Australia in 1953.

Butler became a friend of Henry Parkes, was admitted to the Bar in 1855 and was appointed crown prosecutor and commissioner of the Court of Claims.

In more recent times the Loftus Road  property has been home to the Jean Colvin Cancer Centre, previously known as the Jean Colvin Hospital. The property last sold 20,500 pounds in the early 1960s after six years of fund-raising.

The 10-bedroom, six-bathroom house sold to the Ridhalghs, who are upgrading to the house with plans to restore it as a private residence.

As part of the sale the Cancer Centre will remain in the property free of charge for up to six months.

“We have a contractual agreement to remain in the building free of charge for up to six months where we will continue to offer our current levels of care and support to country cancer patients and their carers,” Can Assist chief Richard Appleby advised Property Observer.

The property was listed through McGrath agents Craig Caughlan and Richard Shalhoub.

“At the end of the day it came down to two parties through an expression-of-interest campaign," Caughlan says.

It is understood the other interested buyer were developers keen to build apartments in its grounds. No official sale price has been given, but Property Observer understands it to be higher than $6.8 million.

Apartments in the nearby Loftus Street development are listed through through 1st City Hasemer & Caldwell.Eyles and LJ Hooker Double Bay. There's $6.5 million hopes for one of the apartment at its September 8 expressions-of-interest marketing campaign.