Birtley Towers

The eleven story brick block of Birtley Towers stands out on the Elizabeth Bay ridgeline with its sharply vertical, stepped silhouette. Built in nineteen thirty-four, it replaced a grand nineteenth century mansion called Birtley House. Architect Emil Sodersten designed the building to house wealthy residents in spacious apartments, a radical departure from the cramped housing common in the area at the time. He kept the original mansion’s gateposts, which still mark the entrance where the driveways lead into the garage levels.