Semi detached cottages

Parent Place or Precinct

25394 Union and Redfern Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The Union and Redfern Street Heritage Area is significant for:

Aesthetic Value:
The area contains aesthetically pleasing streetscapes with a strong heritage character. In particular, cohesive streetscapes have been created by a limited palette of materials and styles.
The area contains many good, representative, suburban examples of Federation Queen Anne houses and Federation Bungalows. These include both gentlemen’s villas and modest suburban houses, and collectively illustrate a gradual evolution in architectural detailing of these places between 1899 and the early Inter-war years.
Historic Value:
The residential subdivision of this area represents the early development activities of Sydney and Melbourne based real estate agents and property developers. In this context it helps to illustrate the status of Western Australia as a place of opportunity during the gold rush era of the late nineteenth century – attracting significant interest and investment from the eastern states.
The collection of houses in the heritage area helps to demonstrate the manner in which the family residences of professional men and business owners (such as senior civil servants and merchants) existed side by side with the smaller houses of semi-professional and tradespeople.
The collection of houses in the heritage area helps to illustrate the scale and standard of housing considered appropriate for these families in the early twentieth century.
The area was a place of residence for a number of people who were prominent in the local business community or were otherwise public identities of the early to mid-twentieth century.

Physical Description

A pair of cottages forming a symmetrical combined elevation. The houses are constructed from brick and iron. Each house incorporates a gable above the windows. A string course extends around the front elevation enlivening the face brickwork. The gables have a roughcast concrete texture which is sprayed onto chicken wire with decorative timber detailing. Each cottage has its own red brick chimney on the corresponding outer edges of the buildings together with a shared chimney in the centre of the roof, at the point of the apex of the roof form.

History

In June 1903, Sydney accountants William James Douglas and Frank Dyson purchased PSL 254 and portion of PSL 253. The land was subdivided into 36 lots and in August 1903, the pair divided the ownership of the lots evenly. Each owned half of the properties facing Rawson Street, Hamersley Road and Heytesbury Road. The lots were sold from 1904 onwards and the first home on Rawson Street, the subject area, was built by 1904. From the available evidence Douglas and Dyson never visited the properties in Subiaco and the sale of the land was managed by local land agents, Ebernezer Allen & Co.

These two houses were built for Senator George Pearce in 1912. Senator Pearce did not reside in either house and they were rented to various tenants over the years. Subiaco Town Clerk, Chris Luth leased No. 3 for a year in 1917 before moving to No. 6 (see notes for 6 Rawson Street). In 1928 the two houses were owned by Cecil Dent Ltd (a land and property agent) and due to the change in occupants over the years until 1949 it is likely that they were used mainly as rental properties.

In 1932, number 5 Rawson Street, consisting of 5 rooms was advertised for rent for 20 shillings per week. It is interesting to note that the first occupant of 3 Rawson Street was William Pearce who may have been a relative of George Pearce.

George Foster Pearce, (1870-1952) born in Mount Barker in a large family of 11 children, Pearce was a carpenter by profession before becoming involved in the union movement. He had a distinguished career in politics representing Western Australia in the first Commonwealth Government in 1901. He was a senator for Western Australia for 37 years and held several senior positions including Minister of Defence. Pearce Air Force Base is named in his honour. On gaining a position in the Commonwealth Government, Pearce and his family lived predominantly in Melbourne.
3 Rawson Street 5 Rawson Street
1912-1913 William H Pearce 1912-1915 Alfred E Prater
1914-1916 Harry Bowley 1916-1917 Victor A Du Fue
1917 Christopher Luth 1918-1920 Mrs Florence May Roy
1918-1920 William E Jones 1921 Thomas Singleton
1922-1923 Samuel H Vivian 1921-1922 T S Cook
1924-1925 Robert Green 1924 Robertson
1926 George Charles Laver 1925-1927 Cliff Bache
1927 Mrs Nellie Ernshaw 1928 Vacant
1928 Mrs Belinda Brown 1929 Robert M Elvey
1929 Thomas J. H. Barton 1930 Alfred James Marshall
1930 Mrs Neal 1931-1932 Robert E Stevewrigh
1931-1938 Leonard C Bevis 1933 William Oldfield
1939 Vacant 1934-1936 Thomas A Wright
1940 Stanley Bell 1937-1938 Thomas A Oliver
1941-1949 William C McQueen 1939-1949 Mrs Cummings

Integrity/Authenticity

This semi-detached pair of cottages retains their original form and detail. Later additions have not significantly affected the original fabric.

Condition

Good

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.