Row of Shops, 424-436 Hay St, Subiaco

Parent Place or Precinct

26003 Rokeby Road & Hay St Conservation Area

Values

• The place is an aesthetically pleasing and cohesive example of an inter-war row of seven shops with residences at the rear.
• Although some original fabric has been replaced this has been done in a sympathetic manner so the place has retained its original form and appearance.
• The place is a representative example of the type of shops, including residences, constructed in small and medium suburban shopping areas during the inter-war period.
• The place may have some rarity value as an intact row of a number of single-storey shops (seven) in the same design, and the presence of the complimentary residential properties at the rear.
• The place makes a pleasing contribution to the Hay St and Rokeby Rd streetscapes.

Physical Description

The place comprises a row of seven single-storey shops situated at the Rokeby Road end of Hay St in Subiaco. The shops retain their recessed entrance doors, and all have glass shopfront windows with copper frames, leadlight windows along the door and window tops, marble-look tiling applied to the foundations, and full-length mirrors in panels applied to each shop end. The parapet above the shops comprises eight piers. There is an arched vent above the centre shop topped by a flat pediment with dentil mouldings. The pediments either side are arched. A canopy with bullnosed edging sits above the shops with anchors to the pediment. The front of the bullnose has been lined with vertical sheets of mini-orb corrugated iron.

History

Subiaco is situated on Noongar land, namely Mooro territory occupied by Yellagonga’s group. Noongar people lived a largely hunger-gatherer lifestyle moving traversing their land to utilise resources according to the seasons. The various water sources across the Perth area played a significant role in Noongar creation stories of the Waugal and well as providing a rich food source. The Whadjuk Noongar people’s way of life was disturbed after 1829 with the arrival of British colonists, who established the settlements of Perth and Fremantle along the Swan River.
At the turn of the century the City of Perth underwent major shifts in population due to the gold boom. As the city became more of a business centre, residential growth occurred in the suburbs surrounding the city, particularly in the first decade of the twentieth century. As early as 1872, discussions were under way on a railway link between Perth and Fremantle with the Fremantle-Guildford line opened in 1881. Suburban growth around Perth rapidly increased in response to the Gold Boom after 1890 with the Subiaco area attractive to families who worked in Perth and residential investors. Expansion and growth continued throughout the 1900s and the inter-war period.
Situated on what is currently Lot 2 on Diagram 300, Row of Shops, 424-436 Hay St, Subiaco sits on what was originally a portion of Perth Suburban Lot 197. Title of the land parcel was transferred to Elizabeth Mary Jones in June 1896, widow of the late John Rowland Jones who is noted as being a reporter in Perth. The discharge of the mortgage on the property occurred in June 1903. Post Office Directories at that time indicate that there were shops at this location, namely a boot dealer, stationer, jeweller and bicycle shop. However, it also possible that numbering along Hay St has changed over time.
The 1910 Post Office Directory lists, on the northern side of Hay St between Catherine St and Rokeby Rd, what appears to be a mix of private residents and shopkeepers, with one shop occupied by a tobacconist and bookseller. However, it is unclear if these are within the area now occupied by Row of Shops, 424-436 Hay St, Subiaco or if they are closer to Rokeby Rd. By 1918 No.s 424-436 are individually listed and are occupied by private residents with a George Howle at No. 426, William McDonald at No. 430 and Alfred Tyley at No. 434. West’s Theatre also appears at this time at No. 438 Hay St. The 1921 Post Office Directory still lists private residents at No.s 426-434
Certificate of title information indicates that the land on which the shops are situated remained in the ownership of Elizabeth Jones until 1921 when it was transferred to a Louis Woolf, accountant, in May. Although it is possible Elizabeth was responsible for the construction of the shops prior to selling the land, it is more likely they were constructed during Mr Woolf’s ownership.
Louis Arnold Woolf was born in New Zealand in 1863. He married Amy Booth in 1895 and they had two daughters, Enid and Una. Woolf ran for the first Senate in 1901 endorsed by the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, one of the precursors to the modern Liberal Party, but he was unsuccessful. Louis Woolf, an accountant, was the son of Esther Phillips, a well-known Jewish Sydney resident. In 1924 Mr Woolf was called to testify in a mining inquiry into the Empire Gold Syndicate due to what appeared to be some dubious share trading but other than that he receives little mention in local newspapers of the time.
Louis’ wife Amy, on the other hand, is mentioned a number of times in the newspaper in the social pages. Amy was the sister of Lady Hordern and Louis and Amy’s daughter Una married Neville Fraser, the son of Lady Fraser, in 1926. Una and Neville had two children, one of whom (Malcolm) went on to become the Australian Prime Minister in 1975. Enid Woolf married Lieut. Malcolm Mackellar, son of Sir Charles and Lady Mackellar and brother of poet Dorothea Mackellar.
Louis Woolf died in 1938 in New South Wales:
Mr. Louis Woolf, who died at Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, on Saturday last, was, until he left Western Australia nearly two years ago to live in Sydney, one of the best-known figures in Perth. In his younger days Mr. Woolf was associated with Sir (then Mr.) Edmund Barton, Mr. B. R. Wise and other leading federalists. Coming to Western Australia he stood as a candidate for the first Federal Senate. Mr. Woolf was an ardent freetrader and a keen student of economics, and practised in Perth as a chartered accountant, being senior partner of the firm of Woolf and Templeton.
As noted above the row of shops appear to have been constructed during the five years the land was owned by Louis Woolf. However, no information has been located to identify specifically who may have designed or built the shops. Newspapers of the time indicate that there were a number of companies which advertised their skills in shopfront design, including Wunderlich Shop Fronts. They touted their skills as being available to the progressive shopkeeper, with designs created to ‘afford maximum view of goods….attract by their own artistic appearance…. [and provide] proper framing for good goods.’ Wunderlich was located in Newcastle, Lord and Short Streets Perth so a company such as this may have been responsible for designing Row of Shops, 424-436 Hay St, Subiaco as well as other similar examples such as the shops located at 377 Newcastle St in Northbridge (P15026 Shops & Offices).
Post Office Directories indicates that by 1922 the shops have been constructed and most are occupied by a variety of commercial enterprises:
No. 424 – Vacant
No. 426 – August Roberts, electrical contractor
No. 428 – Clarence Cummings, hardware store
No. 430 – Vacant
No. 432 – Vacant
No. 434 – E & F Chatley, wicker workers
No. 436 – Zachs Rebakis, confectioner
This would be consistent with the shops having recently been constructed and not all tenancies having been filled at this time.
In 1926 the land and shops were transferred to Charles Cruickshank, and then to Bartolo Miorade. The place then passed to Robert & James Miorade, and Peter Rowe in July 1985 (presumably Bartolo’s sons) following his death in March 1985. They then sold the property to Sanur Pty Ltd in December that same year.
Searches on Trove provided only limited additional information about the place. An advertisement for an anniversary sale at Mr W.A. Summers, the progressive draper of 430-432 Hay Street, Subiaco in 1923 offers a delivery by mail service to country readers.
In 1925 all of the shops are occupied, again by a variety of commercial enterprises:
No. 424 – Frances McGovern, dentist
No. 426 – Joseph Shephard, tailor
No. 428 – Miss Gertrude Stewart, tearooms
No. 430-32 – William Summers, draper
No. 434 – E Brown, shipping agent
No. 436 – George McKerness, confectioner and tearooms
In 1925 a video of Hay Street Subiaco shows the frontage of the shops and indicates that the verandah was at that time supported on posts, and that the façade was unpainted render and brick. The video indicates that the form of the shop frontages remains very similar in appearance to that which is visible today.
In 1928 William Simcock was granted a billiard table licence for his premises at 432 Hay Street, Subiaco, on condition that certain alterations to the building to meet the conditions of the police, and that the door leading from the saloon to the private residence be closed as, it was noted that leaving such an opening availed itself to a ‘great deal of gambling to be carried on on the premises’.
In March 1934 a Mary Newman was prosecuted in the Police Courts on behalf of the Local Board of Health for ‘having created a nuisance at 426 and 428 Hay Street, Subiaco, by causing an accumulation of offensive matter (presumably rubbish). It is noted that ‘tenants come into shops for a week or a fortnight only and leave them in a filthy condition’ which would suggest some may have been leased for short-term tenancies.
Newspapers do include a wedding announcement for a Mr Harold Stock, the son of Mr and Mrs J Stock of 424 Hay Street, Subiaco, to Marjorie Drury in 1936 and another reference to a resident of 424 Hay St, Subiaco (P.C. Stock, possibly one of their other sons) being granted a motorcycle licence in 1936. This would seem to indicate that the residences to the rear of the shops continued to be occupied by the shopkeepers or others during this period and some are understood to have been occupied as late as c.1979.
It is likely the shops continued to be operated for a variety of commercial enterprises throughout their lifetime and the last of the online WA Post Office Directories (1949) supports this:
No. 424 – R.A. & D.J. Pyle, laundry
No. 426 – Mrs Stock (no business noted)
No. 428 – Mrs Martha Hamley and Arthur Clare, mixed business
No. 430 – P.J. McKenney, hairdresser & tobacconist
No. 432 – Princess Billiard Saloon
No. 434 – Mrs D.M. Manzel, florists
No. 436 – Mrs Jane Melvin (no business noted)
In 1985 Lot 2 on Diagram 300 (Row of Shops, 424-436 Hay St, Subiaco) was purchased by Sanur Pty Ltd. Information suggests that the buildings were in poor condition and subject to orders issued by the City of Subiaco to make the building safe. It is understood some fairly extensive works were subsequently undertaken. This included repairs to fretting and cracked brickwork, reinstatement of lintels, drainage works, repairs including replacement of some floors and windows, repair of internal plaster and replacement of some ceilings. It was at this time the parapet was painted to bring it in line with adjacent buildings. Further works understood to have been done at this time include the addition of ‘fruit urn’ ornaments to the parapets, works to the awning, replacement of leadlight and stained glass windows, replacement of marble tiling to the shop frontage foundations, replacement of brass window trims, and the introduction of new mirror panels between the shop frontages. Some demolition of walls and windows to the north elevation (rear) of four of the seven shops was also done at this time, with the construction of new porticos, as was the removal or some internal walls. An image in the Battye Library taken in 1987 shows the shops, presumably following these works, with ‘fruit urn’ ornaments in-situ. These appear to have been replaced since with simple orbs.
Records held by the local government were not reviewed for this assessment. However, the City of Subiaco confirmed that plans are held which indicate internal works, and works to the frontages were undertaken in the 1980s. These note that fabric, including the marble panels, brass window frames and stained glass windows would be cleaned, repaired and replaced as necessary, whilst the mirror panels were to be replaced with new. Various other changes to the shops are understood to have been done since that time, including changes to some entry doors and the alteration of the internal spaces.

Condition

Reports compiled in February 2021 note that there are structurally significant cracks on the cross (party) walls perpendicular to the shop front walls. These measure 100mm in places and the façade is on ‘lean’ of 160mm over Hay Street.

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.