The house might look like it held some very grand colonial balls but when Macleay moved in he was of the very un-partying age of 72.

It wasn't until the 20th century that the house saw its first wild parties. Artists like Wallace Thornton and Wolfgang Cardamatis partied in the house between 1928 and 1935 when Elizabeth Bay was occupied as a bohemian artists' squat. With no electricity, guests brought candles with their booze and disbanded once they burnt out. In 1935 the house was rented out as a reception venue and for the next five years Macleay's dream house was featured in Sydney's social pages as a glamorous backdrop for wedding receptions, parties and balls. In 1941 the candles burnt out again when World War Two austerities caused the closure of the reception venue and the house’s conversion to 16 bed-sit flats. Artist Donald Friend occupied the morning room and had a panoramic view of the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. The house revived and later that year Friend sketched a raucous party with uniformed guests sliding down the banisters.