Dwelling 'hand' pair

Statement of Significance

The pair of limestone houses at Nos 134-136 Summers Street are a fine and intact matching pair of Federation Georgian bungalows, which are associated with Mrs Eliza Gibbs, the developer and original owner.

Physical Description

A matching pair of houses in a style from the Late Colonial period. The houses are consciously Georgian in inspiration with symmetrical frontages, hipped roofs and symmetrical chimneys. The houses are basically rectangular in plan with two front rooms flanking central entries. Walls are of limestone with brick quoins to door and window openings. The tiled roofs have clipped eaves. The separate skillion verandahs span the full width of the frontages and are supported on plain square posts and bressemers. Windows are double hung sashes. Entry doors have fanlights. The chimneys align with the front windows demonstrating these are back to back on the dividing walls to the four front rooms. Street oriented pair of houses, narrow front gardens and picket front fences. Roof appears to have been replaced.

History

Summers Street was named after John Summers, a carriage maker and Perth City Councillor. He purchased about 20 acres of land (Subs 160-165) on the southern side of the street in 1874. At that time the area was outside the township of Perth but during the next few years Perth began to expand northwards. By 1877 the Guildford track had been transformed into a proper road and a map drawn that year also shows Summers Street as a made road. The northern side of the road remained part of Swan Location A4 which was owned by W.B. Andrews from 1830 until1874 when it was sold to James Dyer, a Trustee for the Perth Building Society. This section of Summers Street was developed as part of the East Norwood Estate, which was established in 1898, on the western side of the Fremantle-Guildford Railway line, in the East Perth area. The subdivision was carried out by the Perth (WA) Estate Company Limited and was a result of the population boom created by the gold discoveries in the State. One member of the Company was Zebina Lane, who was an engineer and mine owner at the Great Boulder mines, and one of a number of people who made money in gold mining and reinvested it in land developments during this period. The company later developed the adjoining East Norwood Estate on the east side of the railway line. Initially the attraction of the area was that it was away from East Perth's southern factory area; the higher ground meant it was more desirable than the swampy parts; and its proximity to Highgate allowed them to identify with the more socially acceptable people in that area. However, the status of the area did decline somewhat as a result of the installation of the electric tram service along Guildford Road in 1899 and the growing number of small industries which began to set up there. Other setbacks were that the area was cut off when the Perth to Guildford Railway line was put through and the construction of the Perth Powerhouse at the river end of the street. The dwellings at Nos. 134-136 appeared on the 1897 PWD City of Perth & Suburbs sewerage plans (Sheet 7, 18.8.1897) and as almost identical detached houses on the MWSS&DD sewerage plan of 1953, and may have been identical when first constructed. They were first recorded on the 1898 City of Perth rate books, under the ownership of Mrs Eliza Gibbs, who had constructed five residences on her land. No. 134 was occupied by Eliza and Stephen Gibbs and No. 136 by Bernard Walkemeyer, who operated a bakery on the opposite side of the street. Stephen Gibbs was a successful publican and timber merchant. Tenants changed often, and included an agent, contractor, baker, police inspector and a carpenter in the ensuing years. The high frequency of turnover was fairly typical of the area and for many looking for work in the City, it was a convenient temporary home. Wise's Post Office Directories did not list any numbers in 1899 but Mrs Gibbs was mentioned and two 'off Summers St'. The latter were at the rear of what became No. 138 and that year they were occupied by Edward Bamfield and George Macgill. In 1900 only Mrs Duncan Cumming was listed at No. 136. In 1910 there was no No. 134 but No. 136 was occupied by Lewis Gibbs and No. 138 by Stephen Gibbs with the two at the rear of No. 138 by Mrs Louisa Chapman and Joseph Gregory. In 1920 the residents of Nos. 134 and No. 136 were Alfred A. Worsley and Mrs S.H. Macmillan who had both been there since at least 1917. Mrs Eliza Gibbs was at No. 138 and three houses were listed at the rear. In 1930 Mrs R. Cunningham was at No. 134, George Macmillan (136) and William H. Gibbs at No. 138. In 1940 the occupants were Mrs Elizabeth H. Simmons (No.134), Mrs Sarah H. Macmillan (No. 136 and Edith and Ceil Morley at No. 138. The Gibbs family were no longer listed as residents in the street. In 1948 A. Bianchi of the W.A Trustee Company, who were acting as agents, applied to the City of Perth for a building licence for Nos. 134 and 136 but no details were given. No. 138 was demolished by Homes West and the site redeveloped with a block of 20 flats in 1988 but the other two houses are still extant. At some point this area became part of the suburb of 'Perth' and in 1995, following the formation of the Town of Vincent it came under the new town's jurisdiction. In 1999 local residents successfully fought plans by Westrail to move its bus depot from Hay Street to Summers Street. Improvements were made to the street in 2002 by the East Perth Redevelopment authority and the Town of Vincent. These included new footpaths, a new road surface, lighting, grass verges, street trees and underground power. Nos. 134 and 136 were advertised for sale at $600,000 to $650,000 in 2002 with plans available and planning approval for the construction of four town houses at the rear with access by a driveway between the two existing houses. Nos 134 and 136 were re-roofed with corrugated iron sheeting in 2006. Approval was granted in 2007 to add carports and to develop three town houses at the rear of these cottages with access still provided by an entry between them. In 2007 the owner of the two properties was awarded a Commendation in the Town's Building Design and Conservation Awards for conservation works being undertaken on the two properties, including tuck-pointing, re-roofing and internal re-furbishments.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate to High

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Historic Themes

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