
The house was built in the mid-1890s overlooking the river with direct views to the city. Thompson was an investor rather than a resident, and the land between the house and the river was leased to the shipping firm AUSN who built workshops there, within easy reach of their office in Mary St in Brisbane.
One of the tenants was Charles Foster of the ironmongery firm, Foster and Foster. He moved to Sunnyside from his former residence Shafston House, which he still owned.
Upon the death of Joseph Thompson in 1902, the property was left to his son, who sold it in 1920 to a Fortitude Valley dentist, Robert Wright, and it remained in the Wright family for many years afterwards. I photographed it recently, and this is the way it looked, apparently after having had a makeover.

Click here for a Google Map.
tff
Woah! Not all refurbs are improvements.
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame that the fence in front of Sunnyside is such a barrier that there's no possibility of being able to see this heritage-listed building. How did you take the photo? You must have had a ladder!
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity, too, that the colour scheme is so non-heritage.