Architect Richard Snell’s family home of 25 years listed with concept plans for dream home – Beragampengetahuan

169 Albion St, Surry Hills has an $8m price guide for a

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The family home of an award-winning architect has hit the market after the sudden death of his wife.

Robert Snell, of Snell Studio, had concept plans drawn up for his “dream” transformation of circa-1892 ‘Albert Villa’ — a safe haven for staff working at St Margaret’s Hospital during World War II — but it’s now being offered for sale.

Sales agent Harriet France of Sotheby’s, who has an $8m guide for 169 Albion St, Surry Hills didn’t discuss the motivation for the sale though the beragampengetahuan.com.au advertisement says if realised, the plans would “bring the owner’s dream to life”.

A published obituary from last May says that “Jillian Snell: bat woman led conservation of flying foxes”, had lost conciousness and died while frolicking in shallow water at Elizabeth Beach, part of the Booti Booti National Park.

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Formal living and dining.

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Many rooms open to the outdoors.

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Apart from being a loving wife of Kevin and mum to children Joe, Ann and Robb, she became a tireless advocate for bats after being introduced to an orphaned flying fox in the late 1980s when the family lived at Lindfield.

But her advocacy continued way beyond the family’s move to the big terrace in Surry Hills, bought in 1997 for $1.03m, with her setting up Flying Fox Supporters (FFS — deliberate double entendre) in 2018 and fighting for bat habitat retention in Zambia as late as last year.

It’s understood that Robert is now planning to move up the coast, so the plans — yet to go before council — are being sold with the huge house, which is on a 470.06sqm block.

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Snell Studio is one of Australia’s leading bespoke architectural practices, whose work is

showcased throughout Sydney, the Hunter region and coastal NSW.

The mixed-use property is liveable as is, with five-bedrooms, four-bathrooms and off-street parking for three cars.

There’s a private, established garden and many of the rooms in the house open to the outdoors.

But there’s so much potential — the concept plans show a double-storey rebuild at the rear with open-plan living areas, bedrooms and excavation for multi-vehicle garaging.