The Gadigal people of the Dharug Nation were the first to live in the area. In 1819, William Chippendale received a 95-acre estate. It extended to the location of Redfern Railway Station today. In 1821, Chippendale sold the estate for 380 pounds to emancipist and trader Solomon Levey. In 1833, Solomon Levey passed away in London. William Hutchinson purchased more than 62 acres from Levey’s heirs.

The eastern side of Chippendale is home to the Regent Street railway station, sometimes known as “Mortuary Station,” one of the suburb’s many heritage-listed locations. As a tribute to John Storey, a former New South Wales premier, the John Storey Memorial Dispensary was constructed in 1926.