About this place
What to expect
Labassa is an exuberantly decorated high Victorian mansion. Its vibrant history continued well into the twentieth century as home to a silent movie star, artists and bohemians. The interiors are a treasure of ornamental decoration with lavish Japanese wallpapers, ornate stained glass and a rare trompe l'oeil ceiling. Redeveloped in the French Second Empire style by German-born architect, John A. B. Koch, for owner Alexander William Robertson, the house was remodelled in 1889 into a thirty-five roomed mansion with views across Port Philip Bay. The tower is open to small tour groups on open days. Converted into flats in the 1920s, it functioned as a tenement until 1980. From housing post-war European immigrant families in the 1950s to the psychedelic haze of the 60s and 70s counterculture, Labassa's diverse history is ready for you to discover.