He settled in Melbourne and immediately got a job at the large firm of Stephenson and Turner, and in February 1939 married fellow migrant Verena Sulzer.

The 26-year-old Romberg had been in Melbourne for little more than a year when, with the help of Bernard Gore Brett, set up Newburn P/L with his father-in-law Dr. Sulzer, in order to buy and redevelop a site on Queens Road as investment flats.

There have been subsequent alterations apart from finishes and fittings; the rooftop pergola was replaced by a penthouse in the 1950s, which served as Romberg’s architectural office while working on the nearby Stanhill project.

The initial design was altered to increase the rental profit by adding an extra bedroom to the front four flats and twisting them to face Albert Park, topped by a rooftop garden.

Borrowing from the common practice in Swiss design to incorporate art, Romberg enlisted Gert Sellheim, a commercial artist with whom he had collaborated with for the New Zealand pavilion.

Contrasting the creamy-white exterior walls were the small highlights of blue and yellow on the window frames and mullions, whilst the rear garage doors featured a bold blue-and-cream checkered pattern.