Matienilla, Subiaco

Parent Place or Precinct

27310 Park Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

For information on the significance of the Park Street Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

Architectural style
Typical of many well built 2-3 bedroom suburban houses of the early twentieth century, 72 Olive Street incorporated elements of the Federation Queen Anne style (now partly obscured by the rendering of the main façade). It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable for occupiers such as business owners, office workers, senior retail employees and skilled tradesmen.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Asymmetrical facade. This features a projecting wing on the southern side of the main façade, with a verandah across the remainder of the frontage.
Roof form and materials
• Hipped-gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
• Verge gable finished with a roughcast rendered face and vertical timber battens.
• Bull-nose verandah roof.
• No extant chimneys.
• Raised roofline over rear, two-storey extension, featuring gablets and a series of roof dormers.
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• Rendered walls with a slightly projecting stringcourse at window sill height.
Other detailing to main facade
• Two double-hung windows to the projecting wing, set over a continuous moulded sill and under a simple raked awning with curved brackets.
• Entrance door located under the verandah, abutting the projecting wing. This features a 5-panelled door; traditional moulded architraves; wide sidelight; highlight; and stained glass panels.
• Two full-height double hung windows opening onto the verandah.
• Chamfered square timer posts with moulded capitals. Frieze of square timber balustrettes.
Streetscape setting
• House set back approximately 4m from the Olive Street frontage.
• Lot width approximately 12.2m.
• House built up to a parapet wall on the southern boundary. Setback of approximately 2.3m on the northern side of the house (the latter accommodating a driveway and parking area).
• Front yard enclosed by a visually open metal fence and gate.

History

Subiaco's population increased significantly in the 1890s due to an economic depression in the eastern states and the discovery of gold in Western Australia. During the 1890s property developers bought large landholdings for subdivision in the Perth metropolitan area. The original subdivisions in Subiaco were generally simple grid pattern developments with small lots suitable for occupancy by working families. However, the more elevated parts of the suburb, particularly towards Kings Park, also attracted business and professional men and some lots were later amalgamated to accommodate their larger homes and gardens. Mixed development occurred and within the Park Street Heritage Area this ranged from narrow, single storey terrace housing through to a large 2-storey house set in spacious grounds. The readily available evidence indicates that the number of houses within this area increased from around 24 in 1901 to 72 in 1906; 86 in 1910; 91 in 1915, 94 in 1920 and 13 by 1925. Development then stabilised, with 106 houses and 1 block of flats identified in 1949.
Perth Suburban Lots 218 and 219 were subdivided as Deposited Plan 214 in the early 1890s. This comprised 52 lots, including 24 lots with frontages to Ivy Street, which extended between Barker and Bagot Roads (renamed as part of Olive Street in c.1901).
The Post Office Directories did not provide street numbers for Subiaco until 1906, and at that time #72 was the only house along the eastern side of Olive Street for the block between Barker Road and Park Street. Based on an analysis of the sequence of entries in the earlier Directories the first known occupant of #72 was John Major Grasham (c.1861-1924) (bricklayer). Grasham was born in England and married Annie Prosser in NSW in c.1886. The readily available evidence indicates that this couple lived in Olive Street in c.1897-1900 (location not determined); travelled to London in 1901; and lived at 72 Olive Street in c.1903-1904. The earliest available Rate Book for Subiaco (1903) confirms that Lot 23 was owned by J Gresham at that time.
No other people with this surname were identified in the Post Office Directories of this period, so it is highly likely that John Grasham was responsible for newspaper advertisements that offered two newly built villas for sale in Bagot Road during 1904. This suggests that he may have been using his skills as a bricklayer to work as a local/builder developer during this period and it is quite possible that he was responsible for the construction of 72 Olive Street.
By 1905 the house had been occupied by Robert Mitchell Campbell (laundryman) and at the time of his death in October of that year (aged 39 years) it was referred to as ‘Matienilla’. Following Campbell’s death 72 Olive street was owned and occupied by a ‘laundress’, Mina Hunton (c.1869-1912). Mina had established the London Laundry in Perth in 1900. By 1905 she was operating her business as the Princess Laundry, but in October of that year advertised that she had relocated to 72 Olive Street and renamed the business as the Subiaco Laundry (which continued to operate at this address until c.1911). Mina died in January 1912 and her 6-room brick villa and its contents were advertised for sale in April 1913.
The house then had at least 2 short-term occupants before becoming the long-term home of Margaret Duston and her extended family in c.1916. At the time of the 1911 census Margaret Duston (born c.1875) was living in England with her father, George Smith, her sisters, Martha (c.1879) and Ethel (c.1887), and her children, George (c.1898) and Margaret (‘Maggie’) (c.1900). The readily available evidence suggests that her husband, John Henry Duston, had migrated to Australia in 1907, but no further information has been found regarding this man.
Margaret (who worked as an upholsterer), George, jnr, and Maggie migrated to Australia in 1911. By 1913, George, snr (a blacksmith), Martha (tailoress, later machinist) and Ethel (laundress) had also migrated and were living at 236 Perth Street (Churchill Avenue), Subiaco. By 1916 they had moved into 72 Olive Street with Margaret and the children. George, snr, remained here until around the time of his death in 1932. Ethel moved away after her marriage to Peter Alexander Adams in c.1921, but they returned here for a few years in the late 1920s. Margaret and Martha appear to have moved out after their father’s death, but had returned by 1934. Martha then remained here until her death in 1951 and Margaret remained until the late 1950s/early 1960s.
It has not been confirmed when Margaret Duston purchased the property, but she was identified as the owner/occupier in the Subiaco Rate Books of 1929-1930.
An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (dated 1927, updated 1955) and historical aerial photographs indicates that, with the exception of the main part of the original house, this site was cleared in 2014. Major two storey additions had been completed by 2016, but the footprint of the front portion of the original house can still be identified.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium to Low: The authenticity of the house within its streetscape setting has been reduced by the rendering of the main façade, which has obscured important finishes and detailing. The verandah and window hood appear to have been reconstructed in a generally sympathetic style.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in a good condition.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.