Labassa Mansion

Labassa is an exuberantly decorated high Victorian mansion. Its vibrant history continued well into the twentieth century as home to a silent movie star, artists and bohemians. The interiors are a treasure of ornamental decoration with lavish Japanese wallpapers, ornate stained glass and a rare trompe l’oeil ceiling. Redeveloped in the French Second Empire style by German-born architect, John A. B. Koch, for owner Alexander William Robertson, the house was remodelled in 1889 into a thirty-five roomed mansion with views across Port Philip Bay. The tower is open to small tour groups on open days. Converted into flats in the 1920s, it functioned as a tenement until 1980. From housing post-war European immigrant families in the 1950s to the psychedelic haze of the 60s and 70s counterculture, Labassa’s diverse history is ready for you to discover. Labassa is normally open on the Third Sunday of Each Month (except December).