Davaar House to undergo multimillion-dollar restoration

Once a haven for squatters and vandals, a South Tce mansion is now set for a multimillion-dollar restoration by its new owners.

Fiona Fiorinotto the new owner of historic mansion Davaar House, South Terrace Adelaide on Tuesday May 18th 2021 - Picture: Michael Marschall

The new owners of a historic CBD mansion are planning a multimillion-dollar restoration to bring the property back to its former glory.

Fiona and Oscar Fiorinotto, who own engineering firm Supashock, have taken over the heritage-listed Davaar House property, on the corner of South Tce and Hutt St, with plans for a major renovation to accommodate a new luxury wellness business.

Davaar House with August Towers behind. Picture: Michael Marschall

Fiona Fiorinotto and the grand staircase inside Davaar House. Picture: Michael Marschall

The Speaker of the House of Assembly Sir Jenkin Coles outside of Davaar House when it was his home.

It follows years of neglect and the financial collapse of disgraced developer Sam Sgherza, who was previously planning a restoration of the mansion as part of his $35m August Towers apartment block adjacent to the property. Financier CEG Securities took control of the site in May 2018 and has since been looking to offload the mansion to recoup money owed by Mr Sgherza.

Artist’s impression of an earlier landscaping design and upgrade proposed for Davaar House.

Davaar House as it appears now. Picture: Michael Marschall

Davaar House. Picture: Michael Marschall

After becoming a haven for squatters and vandals in recent years, the property has fallen into a state of disrepair. But Ms Fiorinotto sees huge potential and is finalising her designs after the family’s $1.5m purchase.

“I just love the property and I love the story behind it,” Ms Fiorinotto said.

“It’s been sitting there for so long and I just really want to bring it back to life.

“We don’t want to alter Davaar in any way – the external will be beautiful and she’ll look like she used to, and internally we’re actually not changing that much.

“We’re going to work with what’s there and make it look like she was, but with a very slight modern touch.”

Davaar House was built for wine and spirit merchant William Johnston in 1876.

During Mr Sgherza’s ownership of the property, a historic fence and veranda were illegally removed, and an underground carpark, built to serve the adjoining apartments, resulted in the mansion’s once-landscaped front yard being replaced by a massive concrete slab.

Ms Fiorinotto plans to rebuild the veranda and is attempting to track down the original fencing in order to reinstate it. She said plans would be submitted for council approval in around three weeks, and she hoped to have the project completed within 12 months.