House

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

Much of the original Federation Queen Anne detailing of this house has been lost having been altered circa 1950s. The original plan form of the house has been retained externally with a hipped and gablet roof, central gable over the entrance and symmetrical façade. The original verandah has been removed being replaced with a flat concrete canopy supported on slender metal columns which was a feature of 1950s house design. The timber decking has also been replaced with a concrete floor with a low metal balustrade in keeping with the 1950s style. The windows are timber framed casements. Although the door has been changed, the original configuration of sidelights and fanlights has been retained. The gable detail comprises roughcast render sprayed onto chicken wire with a timber gable screen integrated into the eaves. The original brick face of the property has been completely rendered.

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.

The property was constructed in 1908 for Mr & Mrs Arthur Taylor. Arthur and Ethel Taylor were married in 1905 and Arthur was employed in the Import business. In 1916/17 the house was sold to J Vile who lived there until the mid-1920s. In 1929 the house was owned and occupied by Sydney Manley Harvey (a flour mill foreman) who was still residing there in 1949. Sydney and Elizabeth Harvey had six children and moved to Western Australia from Victoria. Sydney Harvey was still living at the house until his death in 1954 aged 94.


Occupants
1908 1913 Arthur and Ethel Taylor
1914-1915 Mrs M Gibbons
1916-1917 Reginald J Gibbons and Cyril F Gibbons
1918-1924 John Vile
1925 Vacant
1926-1928 William F Sharpen
1929-1954 Sydney M Harvey

Integrity/Authenticity

Note: While the place has been altered with inappropriate additions there is evidence of the original form and some detail. The style of the low brick wall and the verandah alterations suggest that these modifications occurred in the 1950s.

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.