Following purchase of land by Sidney Sheedy on a sandstone escarpment in the 1920s, he commissioned a house to be designed by FG Leslie Allen which was built in 1939 on Hardy Street.  Distinctive in all round red face brick, the structure was double fronted with an engaged circular tower facing west, all founded on a Bondi White sandstone basement.  

Window casements were provided in the tower and double-hung sash ribbon windows for the house proper, with a hip roof laid with Marseilles tiles.  Built over three levels, the style was of its era, with numerous other examples being built in the rapidly developing district, known as Dover Heights.  More recently, according to Waverley Council, this style of design is a rarity now in the precinct.

FG Leslie Allen’s design and brief was for a mansion like structure, having a functional streamlined interior, and using tactile material elements and craftsmanship within the constraints of the site and still capture the breathtaking views. He was also concerned with the recent economic and social aspects of the time, taking into consideration the prospects of moving out of the then 1930s recession and the possible effects of a shortage of material supply with World War II on the horizon.  

Allen’s mindset at the time was that the built environment should last a lifetime; in retrospect it has lasted technically three generations of the Sheedy family.  Consistent with the philosophy of the David Sheedy Foundation, ‘Respect Restore Repurpose’, the building has aspects that can be upgraded for modern use and rooms repurposed for contemporary living.

As a contributor to the modernist movement, FG Leslie Allen’s authentic and functional interiors design orientated the house to Harbour and City views. He captured natural airflows and drainage. He was a pioneer in mains flush and internal box guttering with decorative masonry.  He purposed a floor plan providing a ‘wow factor’ with adjoining rooms, elegant ceiling and wall mouldings, bespoke designed bedroom and kitchen joinery.

Externally, FG Leslie Allen considered carefully the siting and topography with clever use of the natural sandstone outcrop providing an acropolis for the basement, using the natural living rock exposed to the west to allow for seepage to irrigate the rockeries and garden beds which can still be seen as a thriving rockery today.  Dwarf dry stone walls were provided to punctuate the elevation and provide a geometric differentiation between the living rock and the elegant geometry of the house.  At street level a garage was provided on kerb side and an elegant terrazzo staircase climbs to the entrance portico.