A living area inside one of the apartments at 185 Vulture St, South Brisbane. Photo: John Downes
An entire South Brisbane Art Deco unit complex with a 1930s facade has come on the market, ready to inspire the next era of this rare Brisbane gem.
The property at 185 Vulture Street, South Brisbane’s eight renovated apartments capture the history of this stunning building while providing a sense of modernity and elegance with its Art Deco design.
Brothers Shaun and Shane Costa, with a background in construction and design, discovered the property over 10 years ago while they were walking along the leafy streets of West End, enjoying the eclectic vibe of the Bohemian cafes and bars with the stucco facade and the Spanish architecture grabbing the attention of Shaun.
Exterior of 185 Vulture St, South Brisbane
Before the brothers purchased the property, it operated as a boarding house and flats known as ‘Musgrave Court’.
The renovation and establishment of Betty Joan Apartments were inspired by memories of the brothers’ grandmother, who the property is named after, who made many memories with her grandchildren with her amazing property and magnificent gardens during their childhood in Africa.
Co-owner and interior designer Shaun Costa draws inspiration for his designs from Australian designer Catherine Martin said he was sad about selling the property.
The stunning interior design throughout the complex at 185 Vulture St, South Brisbane. Photo: John Downes
“I’d love to keep it, but it’s time to move on, I’m excited it’ll have a whole new chapter”, Mr Costa said.
“We saved a part of history rather than flattening it, and it’ll continue in its form for future generations.
“We’ve had a lot of comparisons to Melbourne, which I love; a lot of old Brisbane was flattened in the day.
“This place is romantic, and people want to see art; it’s a lost era, and to bring it into the 21st century has done the building justice.
The stunning common space of 185 Vulture St, South Brisbane. Photo: John Downes
Mr Costa said he was proud of what he and his brother had accomplished with the property.
“I’m proud of what we achieved; when we got the property, it was falling apart it had no love given to it for many years.
“It was a passion project for me; my love of Spanish romanticism attracted me to the building.
“It’s about the street appeal in this part of town, and you can see the smile on people’s faces when they walk past it.
“I feel like we’ve made a lasting impact on South Brisbane that will be remembered for many years to come”.
Bathroom in apartment five of 185 Vulture St, South Brisbane. Photo: John Downes
Mr Costa said he plans on taking one of the office deco flame torches as a memento of his time at the property.
“There are two sets of the deco flame door handles; I found them about eight years ago on-site in the UK, out of a school in Lancashire; they’ve been on the front doors ever since we started renovating”, he said.
“I’ll be leaving all the beautiful light fittings, though, they belong with the property”.
Example of the deco flame door handles at 185 Vulture St, South Brisbane.
Property agent Aaron Woolard from Place Estate Agents, New Farm, said he’s excited about the listing.
“There are so many different buyers that would be interested in such a unique opportunity like this”, Mr Woolard said.
“I get the vibe it would be an art series hotel as you’d see in Melbourne, and equally, I could see the new buyer seizing the opportunity of strata-ing and selling each apartment.
“The Brisbane property market continues to surprise all of us; when we think things might be changing it seems to come back stronger.
“We’re lucky we haven’t seen too much change, the age-old lack of supply and buyers’ demand has been driving up the prices”.
The property is scheduled to go to auction on Saturday July 8 at 3pm.
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