With its exceptional facade boasting grand double windows, decorative verandahs and a lace-trimmed balcony, Julie and Paul Jorgensen’s home at 56 Fourth Avenue, St Peters, is a sight to see.

Investor Julie and her husband Paul, who works as a chartered accountant, first purchased the grand five-bedroom, three-bathroom home 15 years ago.

Built in 1882 for the then State Auditor General William Tyndall Sheppard, Athol Lodge was one of the three original dwellings constructed on Fourth Avenue and would host large cocktail parties for Adelaide socialites.

“Back in the day, horse-drawn carriages would arrive at the home carrying all the socialites of Adelaide,” says Julie. “It was the place to be.”

The home’s legacy as an entertainer’s dream has continued with Julie and Paul, who love hosting family and friends for long lunches and decadent dinners.

The couple has kept the home in mostly the same condition as they purchased it, only doing simple paint jobs and removing old carpets, but have transformed the estate-like grounds to cater to modern entertaining.

With two young sons in the home when they first moved in, Julie and Paul were keen to build a retreat where they could host friends as they grew.

“I have always been a very family-orientated person with a big family, so I wanted them to have an area where they could have their friends over and play billiards and watch sports,” Julie says.

The resulting three-storey studio at the back of the home features a double-space garage on the ground level, a cellar below and a self-contained studio above with a kitchenette, bathroom and plenty of space to hang out with friends.

Outside is a dining pavilion where Julie and Paul spend most of their time in the summer months enjoying the outside kitchen and barbecue alongside the swimming pool and tennis court.

“We built the outside pavilion which is incredible – I absolutely love it,” Julie says.

“We have that big outside table and we love to entertain out there; I once fit 30 people around it.”

After building the pavilion, the couple decided they would like a woodfire oven and had one constructed along the side of the house with benches and a grapevine arbour.

“We use it every two or three weeks to make pizza or bread and cook meats,” Julie says. “I haven’t done the whole pig yet, so before we move, we will have to do a whole suckling pig.”

Surrounding the pavilion, swimming pool and tennis court is an expansive garden designed by Landscape Techniques that features enchanting mature plants throughout the grounds.

A passionate foodie, Julie adores the kitchen with its European appliances, custom joinery and stunning marble accents. Designed as a hub for family and friends, a long island bench stands at its centre, while French doors open to the outdoor entertaining space.

The splendid dining room links to the lounge through bifold doors, creating the perfect space for entertaining in the cooler months and comfortable everyday living.

At the front of the home, a library lined with bespoke bookshelves is the bibliophile’s dream space, and Julie has filled the shelves to the brim with her many cookbooks.

More than just their incredible property, Julie and Paul have fallen in love with the St Peters area and will miss its beauty and charm.

“There is a beautiful little park down the road where families can take their kids and they sometimes have live music down there,” Julie says.

“Everybody is just lovely. We all have dinners and parties and everyone is very friendly.”

With their children fully grown and ready to fly the nest, Julie and Paul are ready to begin the next chapter of their lives.

“We are downsizing so we can have a place that we can just lock up and go travelling, and it is also time for a new family to come and enjoy the home,” Julie says.

The sale is being handled by Sally Cameron of TOOP+TOOP.