’Omrah’ & ‘Olinda Flats’ The Crescent Homebush

by Cathy Jones

Recently  ‘Omrah’ and ‘Olinda’, two 1930s blocks of flats, at 14 and 16 The Crescent, Homebush were demolished.  A few people have requested some history on the units.

The land on which both unit blocks were built was acquired by builder Wilfred Crane Cooper, Wentworth Road, Strathfield in March 1929.  Cooper was a local builder and responsible for many buildings in the Strathfield area in the 1930s.

Strathfield Council adopted a planning policy, which prohibited new building of units in residential areas in 1920, however units were permitted to be built in exempt areas such as land close to railway stations such parts of The Crescent.

Building applications were lodged and approved in March and December 1933 to build the unit blocks.  The estimated cost of building each block of flats was £2000. ‘Omrah’ was built at 14 The Crescent (formerly 11A) and ‘Olinda Flats’ at 16 The Crescent (formerly 11B) between 1933 and 1934.  It was likely Cooper was delayed in building the units due to the Depression, which commenced in 1929 and effectively brought building projects to a standstill until the economy improved. Each block contained 4 flats.

Ownership of ‘Omrah’ was transferred in October 1935 to John Bernard Francis McKenzie, medical practitioner, and his wife Ethel, as joint tenants.  Ownership of ‘Olinda Flats’ was transferred in January 1934 to Ethel Rothwell, a widow.  It is likely the units were mainly leased.

Between 1900 and 1940, flats went from 0% to 20% of Sydney’s building stock, particularly in the Eastern Suburbs and City of Sydney.  However, units in Strathfield were rare and only located in specific locations ie near rail stations.  Neither block of units was heritage listed.

References

Buildings and Works Approved (1933, March 15). Construction and Real Estate Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1930 – 1938), p. 2. Retrieved July 14, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222910930

Buildings and Works Approved (1933, December 20). Construction and Real Estate Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1930 – 1938), p. 2. Retrieved July 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222912806

Strathfield Council Building Register