Constructed in c. 1872/1873, this house is representative of the earliest development of Adelaide Street West (formerly Little Adelaide Street) as it was extended westward over the Garrison Creek ravine into what is present day Stanley Park.


781 Adelaide Street West is situated on the former site of the Smith and Burke's lumber yard and the Tobacco and Snuff Factory.  Other nearby industrial enterprises included the H. J. Boulton flour barrel factory and Wood & Co. cement and plaster works situated to the immediate west. 


 Former addresses include 107 Little Adelaide Street and 89 Defoe Street. The current address has been used since the 1920s/1930s.  



Former occupants include: John Clare — a laborer who may have built the property (c. 1873/1874); and John Morrison — a leather inspector and expressman (c. 1875 to 1930s/1940s). In 1905, Morrison and his son John Morrison Jr. gained notoriety for participating in an organized robbery of the Michie & Company liquor store at 5 King Street West.




Stylistically, the property is a fine example of a Gothic Revival house with dichromatic brickwork. The house is offset to the street, likely dating to its early period of development and infill-related challenges with the adjacent ravine.