 Between 1927 and 1935 a colony of artists squatted in the house and during 1940-41 after the conversion of the house to flats, the artist Donald Friend lived in the Morning Room flat.Friend was a resident of the house after it was vacated by the Macleay family and converted into residential flats.The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.