Semi-detached house

Parent Place or Precinct

26475 Goderich Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The place helps to illustrate rapid development of East Perth with rental accommodation in the mid-1890s, in response to the rapid population growth arising from the gold boom. It is one of thirteen late 19th century houses along Goderich Street, between Bennett Street and Forrest Avenue, which form a relatively rare collection of places that help to illustrate the pattern of settlement that saw the establishment and consolidation of East Perth as a residential suburb in the lead-up to and during the gold boom. Collectively, these places contribute to the community’s sense of place through the retention of significant physical evidence illustrating the development of East Perth in the late 19th century – a value that is emphasised by the extensive redevelopment of much of the surrounding parts of East Perth since the 1980s. Through interpretation of the diverse housing stock, this collection of places provides the opportunity to articulate the nineteenth century residential development of East Perth with a mixture of free-standing houses, semi-detached houses and terrace houses, catering to a range of occupants from owner-occupiers, to upper and middle-class tenants, to working-class tenants. The changing ownership and occupancy of the properties, and the redevelopment of some sites within this area, reflects population growth, population movement and changing attitudes towards inner-city housing over time.

Physical Description

69 Goderich Street forms part of a single storey semi-detached terrace at 67-69 Goderich Street.
The roof has an east-west ridgeline to the street frontage and extends to the rear as an ‘M’ shaped hipped roof with a central box gutter over the party wall. There is no external evidence of chimneys.
The frontages of the two houses were designed as a mirror image. At ground floor level, each house has a main entrance near the party wall. Each of these is now fitted with a single door with no highlight or sidelights. The front room of each frontage has a triple casement window with eight panes to each panel. The projecting sills have a simple square profile. A dropped bull-nosed verandah extends across the main façade, supported on turned timber posts. The verandah floor and front steps are tiled. The main façade is fully rendered with no visible evidence of the original finish. The house is set above the level of the street with eight steps linking the front gate to the verandah. The front boundary is defined by a rendered masonry wall (approx. 1.7m high) framed by taller limestone block piers linked by wrought iron infill panels (overall height approx. 2.4m). The front gate has wrought iron detailing to match the infill panels to the fence.

History

A study of East Perth using the rateable value of housing and occupations listed in Perth Rate Books as at 1904 defined that section of Goderich Street between Forrest Avenue and Bennett Street as middle class, as opposed to an ‘overwhelmingly’ working class area around Claisebrook, and the ‘Elite and Upper Middle Class’ that fronted the river, especially along exclusive Adelaide Terrace.
In c.1895-1896 there was a flurry of building activity and eight new houses were constructed along the southern side of Goderich Street, between Forest Avenue and Bennett Street, adding to the three existing houses and largely completing the development of this frontage of Town Lots E17 and E18. The home of a local developer/landlord, Thomas Elliott, was a large two storey house on the corner of Goderich and Bennett Street (facing Bennett Street).
In c.1895, Town Lot E17 was acquired by Thomas Elliott, and information in the Rate Books indicates that he immediately set about developing this with several houses along the Goderich and Bennett Street frontages. This was all occupied as rental accommodation, with the new buildings including the row of three terraces at 55-59 Goderich Street, plus two pairs of semi-detached houses (67-69 and 71-73).
When street numbers were first allocated in c.1897, this pair of houses was known as 123-121 (numbered east to west). From 1900 they were known as No 53-55, before being given No. 67-69 from 1908 onwards.
The first known occupant of No. 67 was William H Ranking, a traveller, but the occupants changed regularly through until at least 1940, with tenants typically remaining for 1-3 years. Elliott retained ownership of these properties until c.1904, when it was reported that he was selling at least some of his Perth properties in anticipation of a move to Kalgoorlie. At that time Town Lot E17 included eleven houses - two pairs of semi-detached brick houses fronting Bennett Street; one double fronted brick and stone villa fronting Bennett; one brick and stone two storey residence on the corner of Bennett and Goderich Streets (Elliott’s house); and a double fronted brick and stone villa and two pairs of semi-detached brick houses fronting Goderich Street. The last of these included the semi-detached houses now known as 67-69 Goderich Street.
An advertisement stated that each of these contained five rooms, with wide hall, pantry, bathroom, etc,… Now let at 22s. 6d. per week each. (Sunday Times 25 September 1904 p 8) In 1906, the Rate Books identified the owner of the houses 67-75 Goderich Street (plus Elliott’s former home on the corner of Bennett) as Othel Sloss. He was a contractor of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, with five sons and one daughter: Moses (born c.1899), Samuel (c.1891), Thomas (c.1893), Joseph (c.1895), Esther (c.1901) and Othel, jnr (c.1901). Electoral Rolls show that various members of the Sloss family, including Othel’s parents Moses and Elizabeth, and his sister Clara, lived in a detached villa at 75 Goderich Street. The properties stayed in the family after Othel Sloss died in 1907, passing to his sons Joseph and Moses who retained ownership until c.1929.
After this, ownership of 67-69 Goderich Street transferred to George Henry Maxwell. Subsequent owners included Nicholas and Mary Francis (1937-1938), and Dorothy May Boyd and Gertrude Mary Hayes (1939). One long-term resident at 69 was Bernard John Miller, a tram conductor, who lived here from c.1909-1931. Another was Frederick James Thomas and wife Teresa Agnes Mary Thomas (nee Warner) who lived there from 1942 until at least 1949 (when post office directory records cease). In a newspaper report in 1942, Frederick Thomas was described as an investigator employed with the Special Bureau CIB, attached to Military intelligence. He is later described as a nurseryman.
The 1954 sewerage plan shows 67-69 and 71-73 as matching pairs of stone, semi-detached houses. The verandahs extend along the full length of the street front. There are also verandahs at the rear and sides, and compared to the footprint of the adjacent houses at 65-51 Goderich Street, they are quite substantial in size. The rear yard shows separate laundry rooms (identified as Cop for copper), and brick toilets are located on the south boundary fence. No. 69 also has a galvanised iron outbuilding in the south west corner of the lot against the boundary fence.
Aerial photos show that between 1965 and 1974, the roof of 67-69 was replaced (it changes from a darker colour, probably painted red corrugated iron to a light colour). When aerials become coloured from 1981, the roof is white as opposed to the red roofs adjacent at 71-73 Goderich Street. A 1985 photograph (313911PD, SLWA, Photograph A.9) shows a dropped bull-nosed verandah roof profile.
On the southern side of Goderich Street a modern residential row of terraces at 71-77 Goderich Street called Queensgate Terraces was built in c. 1990. For this development, one of the matching semi-detached cottages at 71-73 was demolished, while Nos 67-69 remains extant.

Integrity/Authenticity

High integrity.
Authenticity - The rendering of the façade and replacement of the front windows has altered the character of this place. However, the original form and nature of the semi-detached terrace can still be understood.

Condition

Good

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.