Key 53: Salaried Vice-Chancellor 1935/Vice-Chancellor's Residence 1938

Gifts to the University from Herbert Brookes and George Nicholas made possible the erection of a residence for the vice-chancellor designed by Harry Norris situated just to the west of the Grattan Street entrance and adjacent to the south end of the row of professors' houses, though it was not completed until the end of Priestley's incumbency.

Tensions with the Chancellor Sir James Barrett contributed to Priestley's decision to accept the equivalent position at Birmingam in 1938; in his brief term, Priestley had overseen major developments, including a new Chemistry building and a radical enlargement of the Union Building, and was at the forefront of moves to secure Commonwealth funding for Australian Universities.