Roy Grounds-designed home at 4 Cobby Street, Campbell sells for $2.6 million

It's only the third time the property at 4 Cobby Street, Campbell has changed hands in its more than 50 years.

As well as Canberra locals, hopeful buyers had flown in from interstate to see the renowned property.

The low-set brick home was designed by Melbourne architect Roy Grounds, with Canberra's Theo Bischoff as project architect, in 1969.

Mr Grounds was considered one of Australia's leading architects of the modern movement and was known for his post-war Melbourne regional style.

Alongside a handful of homes, Mr Grounds also designed the Australian Academy of Science building, today known as the Shine Dome.

The Cobby Street home was commissioned by globally acclaimed CSIRO geneticist Sir Otto Frankel and his wife Margaret and sits on a 2900-square-metre block at the base of Mount Ainslie.

Its distinct design features include a curved front facade, "hit and miss" brick screening, open-plan living and timber veneer walls.

The house is divided into three areas, with a pottery or artists' studio and garage at one end, the living, dining and kitchen spaces in the middle and three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a music room at the other end.

The home was listed on the ACT Heritage Register in 2008.

"The building is a combination of post-war international style and post-war Melbourne regional style and displays typical characteristics of both," the heritage registration document states.

"The building is unaltered and in good condition in its original native landscape, and provides a wider understanding of both styles and the work of the architect, Roy Grounds."

The Cobby Street home was extensively explored in a book written by Milton Cameron, Experiments in Modern Living: Scientists' Houses in Canberra 1950-1970.

According to the book, it was the third architect-designed house commissioned by the Frankels.

"The spaces, materials and detailing all contributed to the impression of a cocoon-like interior that enveloped its occupants in a warm and private inner sanctum," Mr Cameron wrote.

"The brick grilles-which, from the outside, gave away no clues about the interior-suddenly assumed a whole new significance."

Following Otto and Margaret's deaths in the late 1990s, their Cobby Street home was sold by public auction to architect Stephen Frith.

CoreLogic records show the house changed hands for $520,000.

Proceeds from the sale went to the National Gallery of Australia to purchase a painting in the Frankels' honour, the book stated.

Mario Sanfrancesco of Blackshaw Manuka sold the Cobby Street home on behalf of Mr Frith and his family.

"It was a property that generated a lot of interest from modernist home followers and architects alike," Mr Sanfrancesco said.

He said several hopeful buyers had flown or driven to Canberra from interstate to view the property.

Three bidders registered for the auction on Saturday, which lasted about 10 minutes before the hammer fell.

The new owner was moving to Canberra and had always dreamed of owning a Roy Grounds-designed home, Mr Sanfrancesco said.

"So between the buyer being just very excited about buying it to the owners that finally let go of the property that they loved living in, it was quite an emotional end of the day," he said.

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