House

Parent Place or Precinct

25394 Union and Redfern Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

For information on the significance of the Union and Redfern Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

2 Union Street has been extensively modified, but it is highly likely that its detailing would have been very similar to the original detailing remaining to 7 and 21 Union Street.
Major alterations have included the:
• Replacement of the original tiled roof with corrugated metal sheeting.
• Painting of the tuck-pointed, face-brick façade.
• Construction of a high masonry wall along the front boundary (largely concealing the front of the house from public view).
• Construction of a two-storey addition towards the rear.
Key traditional elements include:
• Symmetrical façade, centred under a small gable over the main entrance.
This gable has a roughcast rendered face and three vertical timber battens.
• Tuck-pointed brickwork with a plain rendered stringcourse at door head height (now painted a single colour).
• Centrally located entrance door with a chamfered timber frame, narrow sidelights and highlights.
• Triple casement windows to the front rooms on either side of the main entrance.
These have square highlights and projecting moulded sills.
• Raked verandah extending across the full width of the façade, in a broken-back alignment from the main roof.
This has turned timber posts, simple carved timber brackets, and square timber balusters to the end panels.
The house is set back approximately 3m from the front boundary. This is defined by the high masonry wall, which features an asymmetrically located lynch gate, and is backed by tall shrubs. On the southern side of the site there is an open, off-street car parking bay.

History

Perth Suburban Lot 255 was purchased by the Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company Ltd of Sydney in August 1890. Two years later it was transferred to James Chesters of 155 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, estate agent. By 1894 Chesters had subdivided this land as Deposited Plan 899, with 42 lots laid out around Queen Street (soon renamed Union Street).
According to the City of Subiaco Rates Books a house was built on part Lot 3 & Lot 38 for William Edmund Carlisle (importer) in 1914/15 and the property was transferred to Agnes Dorothea Brown by 1917/18. However ownership was not officially transferred from James Chesters until May 1921, when a new Certificate of Title was issued in the name of Hannah Maud Shephard.
The house on this lot appears to have been built to the same design as 5 Union Street and it is highly likely that Chesters had built both houses as part of the speculative development he is known to have undertaken in various parts of his Subiaco subdivisions in the period c.1907-1916. Based on other similar cases, it is also likely that he had taken a deposit, with full payment to be received in instalments, but that the initial purchaser(s) moved on before finalising the transaction (on-selling their equity in the property rather than the title to the land).
William Carlisle lived here with his wife, Mary, for about two years, before the house was offered for sale in February and September 1917, when they were planning to relocate to Victoria:
ON TIHE PREMISES 2 UNION-ST Off Hamersley-road, SUBIACO. DESIRABLE BRICK -TILED ROOF RESIDENCE, and VALUABLE HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE and EFFECTS: A. W. DUCAT has received instructions from the owner to SELL as above Lot 38 and portion of lot 37 of Perth Suburban Lot 255, having a frontage of 44ft. by a depth of 132ft. to a row.; on which is erected a Brick HOUSE with tiled roof, containing 4 rooms, vestibule, kitchen, hall, bath, troughs and copper, electric light throughout, front verandah, lawns front and back. TERMS: £50 ash, balance at 25s per week.
And
BEAUTIFUL new Brick Villa, every modern convenience, 1 minute tram, school, owner must sell, leaving State, open week only. 2 Union-st., Subiaco.
The next occupant, Agnes Dorothea Brown, lived here with her husband, Hamilton Brown (the manager of the Palladium Picture Palace), until 1919, when the house was again offered for sale:
SUBIACO: Six large Rooms, Brick, tiled roof, all modern conveniences; easy terms. Kaiapoi, 2 Union-st.
There were then at least two further short-term occupants, before 2 Union Street became the family home of Joseph and Hannah Shephard in 1921. Joseph Shephard was a local tailor who, for many years, had business premises at 87a Rokeby Road. Hannah died in 1929 and by 1933-34 Joseph was residing at his new business premises at 130a Rokeby Road.
The next resident was Anna Lawson, who had been widowed in 1927 when her husband, Edmund, was killed in an accident, at the age of only 30 years. By 1934 Anna had moved into 2 Union Street and, from 1935, a builder, Leslie Preston Andrews, was also living here (advertising this as his business address). Andrews was reported to have disappeared from his home in Sydney in 1923, taking his 7-year old son with him.
He then kept his name off the electoral rolls until the 1940s and, when he began to operate his own business in Perth, advertised this under the name L Andrews (later L Andrews & Son).By 1940 Anna Lawson and Leslie Andrews had moved to 8 Rene Road, Dalkeith (and they continued to live together until at least the late 1970s).
During the 1940s there were a series of relatively short-term residents and in 1951 the house was again advertised for sale:
SUBIACO. 2 UNION-ST. 4 rooms, b. and t., garage, vac. pos.
In c.2011 a major addition was added at the rear of the house and the tiled roof was reclad with corrugated metal sheeting.

Integrity/Authenticity

Note: Alterations to the roof and the painting of the main façade have impacted on the authenticity and traditional character of the place. However, the underlying form and detailing of the main façade remains consistent with the original design and the key elements of the traditional streetscape.
The high, solid masonry fence is intrusive within the streetscape.
Note: This place has some historical significance as an example of the speculative development undertaken by James Chesters within parts of his residential subdivisions.

Condition

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

Uses

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.