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Former Toorak House

Other Name Swedish Church Location 21 St Georges Road,, TOORAK VIC 3142 - Property No B0226 File Number B0226 Level National

[1/1] B0226 Swedish Church, Toorak

Statement of Significance

Toorak House, constructed c.1848-51, was designed by architect Samuel Jackson and erected for but never occupied by wealthy Melbourne merchant James Jackson. The asymmetrical, rectangular plan two storey brick and stucco Italianate style mansion, complete with dominant tower and ground floor colonnade was leased and then extravagantly extended as the residence of the Governor of Victoria from 1854-74. Toorak House is of special historical importance as the first substantial Government House in Victoria and the centre of Vice-Regal Administration from 1854-74.
The structure is perhaps the oldest surviving mansion house in the State and of paramount architectural importance as an original example of the Italianate tradition in residential design in Victoria by important pioneer architect Samuel Jackson. Toorak House survives essentially intact although the character of the original mansion has been partially obliterated by alterations and embellishment. The extensive outbuildings and quarters have been demolished and the interior sympathetically converted for use of the Swedish Church in Victoria.
Classified: 17/07/1958