Hotel Redo for 1930s Hollywood Bigwig’s Camden Retreat

A mansion built in the 1880s would be transformed into a hotel under plans for a golf course residential development in an outer Sydney suburb.

Studley Park House at Narellan has lived many lives since it was founded—as a grammar school, defence forces establishment, a private residence for a studio executive at the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and most recently a golf clubhouse.

As part of the adaptive reuse development plan filed with the Camden Council, the mansion would be transformed into a five-room hotel and function hall. 

A new two-storey, 44-key hotel linking to the historic house would be built as part of the plans, as well as a 148-apartment residential complex.

The project has a capital investment value of $107.5 million and has been forwarded to Sydney Western City Planning Panel for consideration.

AJC Architects designed the residential precinct and mansion redevelopment at 50 and 52 Lodges Road, Narellan on behalf of developer Peter Moran. 

In stage one of construction, the golf course layout would be amended, existing dilapidated defence force buildings demolished, and heritage restoration works to Sydney Park House and its adjoining dining hall undertaken. 

The hotel building would get a new foyer and lounge building.

The second stage would include the construction of four residential apartment buildings between two and four storeys, containing 148 apartments in total. 

The majority of these will be two-bed apartments as well as 40 one and 15 three-bedroom units. There would be 313 car spaces for residents and hotel guests.

The development application did, however, highlight a potential planning hurdle. 

All of the land is zoned private recreation due to the golf course, the application said, so currently the hotel and residential buildings are not permissible uses of the land.

However, the developers say they have been advised that as the conservation of a heritage item will be facilitated by the development, consent could be granted for the project.

Studley Park House was built in 1888 and became a school between 1902 and 1933.

In 1933 it became a retreat for Twentieth Century Fox Corporation executive Archibald Adolphus ‘Arthur’ Gregory in the Golden Age of Hollywood. 

A keen golfer, he commissioned construction of a nine-hole golf course, later adding another nine holes He also had the house remodelled in an Art Deco style.

During World War II it was resumed as the Eastern Command Training School.

Since then it has been a private residence as well as part of the Camden Golf Course.

As Sydney continues to oversaturate, outer suburbs such as Camden are becoming more attractive to developers. 

Camden was identified last month as one of the greenfield areas with the highest need for more medium to high-density housing in the next five years and has been highlighted as an area of high-population growth alongside Liverpool.