Belmont The Dollhouse

The strip of land where The Dollhouse originally stood was once part of a Crown Reserve known as Devil’s Elbow. In 1937, the site was acquired by H.L. Brisbane & Co. to showcase their building products, following a trend among other companies in the Victoria Park area doing the same.

At the time, in 1936, government policy didn’t allow Crown land, especially reserves vested in local council, to be leased to private businesses. These reserves were intended for ornamental grass plots, meant to enhance the appearance of the area.

Despite this, the local Road Board granted Brisbane & Co. a six-month lease, which was later extended to three years. The company went on to become Brisbane & Wunderlich (p.8) and eventually Bristile, continuing to lease and use the land for product displays.

Today, the Dollhouse is all that remains of the original site. The rest of the strip was lost when Great Eastern Highway was widened, erasing much of the display area’s original footprint.