9 Towers Road Toorak Melbourne Most Exclusive Street

Ever wonder what a $26.5 million house looks like?

Well, in Melbourne’s ritziest suburb, there’s a concrete masterpiece that broke the Victorian property record when the Besen family sold it in 2016. This isn’t just any luxury home – it’s a bold architectural statement that blurs the line between building and sculpture.

Let me take you inside one of Australia’s most extraordinary homes that had at least seven wealthy local families fighting to own it.

9 Towers Road: Melbourne’s Record-Breaking Architectural Marvel

This isn’t your typical mansion. The home at 9 Towers Road in Toorak is more like a livable sculpture – designed by renowned Wood Marsh Architecture and completed in 2018 after six years of meticulous collaboration with the owners.

What makes it so special? It completely reimagines what a luxury home can be, creating a museum-like residence that stands as an iconic landmark on one of Toorak’s most exclusive corners.

The Jaw-Dropping Design

The first thing you notice is the massive oval-shaped concrete façade etched with Oregon timber grain. This creates a raw yet tactile surface that eliminates the need for typical boundary fences. Instead, sweeping concrete arcs extend the landscaped garden toward the street, cleverly blending public and private spaces while maintaining privacy for residents.

The wall curves organically around the sloping site with just a single door leading to a dramatic, double-height entrance corridor. Talk about making an entrance!

The design draws inspiration from conceptual art like Christo’s Running Fence, showing how the owners and architects share a belief in contemporary art’s power to transform daily life. The building’s top features a horizontal line capped with a zinc-clad hemisphere, further enhancing its sculptural presence.

Inside this concrete masterpiece, you’ll find:

• 4 spacious bedrooms (each with its own ensuite and walk-in wardrobe)
• 5 bathrooms
• A media room, library, and custom wine lounge
• A heated pool and six-car garage (because why settle for just two?)

For materials, details like decorative cladding panels enhance the façade’s visual impact while maintaining architectural integrity.

The Extraordinary Grounds

Sitting on a generous 2300+ square meter lot (about 24,628 square feet), the house commands attention on Towers Road, one of Toorak’s most prestigious streets. The property features a verdant central lawn anchored by a 150-year-old plane tree, expertly incorporated into the garden design by celebrated landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL).

The landscaping is described as a “sense of embrace,” offering poetic contrast to the muscular concrete structure with:

• Silver birch trees softening the street frontage
• A lush circular fernery nestled between building walls
• Layered plantings surrounding the pool and garden pavilions
• Hidden paths and arbors for intimate outdoor experiences

For a touch of comfort indoors, materials like premium carpet tiles add warmth to the modern interiors.

Historical Context in a Modern Masterpiece

While the house itself is thoroughly modern, its location in Toorak carries deep historical roots. The area was first mapped in 1837, with early land sales occurring in 1840. The Towers Road area was originally part of large estates purchased by early settlers like James Jackson, who named his mansion Toorak House – establishing the suburb’s prestigious reputation that continues today.

This property represents the evolution of Toorak from historic estates to cutting-edge architectural masterpieces – history meeting innovation in the best possible way.

The Record-Breaking Sale That Made Headlines

When it hit the market in October 2016, the property was listed for a cool $30 million. While it didn’t quite reach that price, the $26.5 million sale still set a new record for Victoria, beating the previous record of $24.1 million (also in Toorak).

What’s especially noteworthy is that at least seven local families were competing for this architectural gem – proving the strong demand for truly exceptional properties even at sky-high prices.

More Than Just a House: A Design Philosophy

The collaboration between Wood Marsh architects and the Besen family reflects a philosophy that great architecture should go beyond mere function to become an experiential sculpture. The house invites both residents and viewers to experience the dialogue between built form, art, and nature.

Raw concrete, metal cladding, timber imprints, and seamless indoor-outdoor flows redefine luxury living through an artistic lens. Local agency Marshall White described it as an “architectural icon without peer” – a modern masterpiece showing how architecture can innovatively engage with its environment.

If you’re ever looking to host a design-inspired event or view architectural marvels up close, explore unique event spaces in Melbourne that celebrate this same spirit of creativity and form.

The Practical Details (Because Size Matters)

For those keeping score:

• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 5
• Garage spaces: 6 (because luxury)
• Lot size: Approximately 2300 square meters (0.23 acres)
• Completion date: 2018
• Architect: Wood Marsh Architecture
• Landscape Architect: Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL)
• Builder: VCON Construction

What Makes It Specia

9 Towers Road isn’t just expensive – it’s extraordinary. It stands as one of Melbourne’s most distinctive residences both for its record-setting sale and its bold architectural vision.

It combines luxury, privacy, and artistry in a seamless composition that challenges traditional ideas of what a home should be. It’s both a museum-like sculpture and a deeply livable environment – setting a new benchmark for contemporary Australian architecture in a historically elite neighborhood.

So next time you’re in Toorak (as one does), drive by Towers Road and catch a glimpse of this concrete masterpiece. Just don’t stare too long – the neighbors might get suspicious