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Tunnel Cafe

Author

City of Perth

Place Number

16484
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

283-291 William St Northbridge

Location Details

Local Government

Perth

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1900

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
Heritage List Adopted 17 Mar 2015

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
RHP - Does not warrant assessment Current 13 Feb 2004

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
Perth Draft Inventory 99-01 YES 31 Dec 1999

Heritage Council
Local Heritage Survey Adopted 28 Mar 2023 Category 3

Category 3

Some/moderate significance - Contributes to the heritage of the locality.

Local Heritage Survey Adopted Category 3

Category 3

Some/moderate significance - Contributes to the heritage of the locality.

Municipal Inventory Completed\Draft 13 Mar 2001 Category 3

Category 3

Some/moderate significance - Contributes to the heritage of the locality.

Statement of Significance

The place has aesthetic significance as a single storey Federation Free Classical style building that contributes to the visual qualities of the highly intact streetscape.
It reflects the economic changes in Western Australia, particularly the gold boom of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which resulted in heavy development of the street.
The place has historic value as it represents a continuity of commercial use and reflects a multiplicity of uses which shaped the character and present diversity of the area.

Physical Description

Single storey commercial building with battlemented parapet and smoothly finished material to street facades embellished with pilasters and decorative capitals. Cantilevered awning.

History

The Northbridge area was a series of lakes and sandy swamps prior to colonisation. This area was used for market gardens from the 1830s. c.1845 William Street extended north from Wellington Street to Ellen Street (now Newcastle Street) and was named Hutt Street. Although aligned with William Street to the south, passage was not possible through Gooloogoolup (Lake Kingsford) to Hutt Street at the time. In 1873 the lakes were drained and in the late 1870s work began on the Fremantle to Guildford railway line with the Perth railway station constructed on the drained site of Lake Kingsford.
In the late 1880s Hutt Street was on the periphery of the town with few buildings. The gold rushes of the 1890s had a profound effect on the state's economy and Hutt Street was one of the many streets of Perth that was heavily developed as a result.
In 1897/8 Hutt Street was renamed William Street and by the turn of the century William Street south of Aberdeen Street was a busy commercial district. The construction of the Horseshoe Bridge in 1903 had a major impact on the role of William Street as an arterial road. A mixture of commercial, cultural and 'immoral' activities formed William Street's character. The present diverse social, cultural and commercial mix is a continuation of the character established around the turn of the century.
Post Office directories show that in 1900 the building was occupied by a grocer, bootmaker, carpenter and laundry, and was originally Nos. 357-365 William Street. In 1949 the tenants included a draper, a restaurant, a fruiterer and Champion Butchers. The Metropolitan Water Supply Survey plan (1950) shows a row of four attached two storey shops on the north corner of Aberdeen Street at Nos. 283, 285, 287 and 291 William Street, with a truncated corner, and a verandah that extends to No. 187 on William Street, and for only a short length on Aberdeen Street. The rear of the buildings have various outbuildings including bathrooms and rear lane WCs, suggesting the buildings were both commercial (ground floor) and residential (upper floors).At 2022 the building is vacant, previously occupied by Shisha, a Persian Café/ Restaurant/Club

Integrity/Authenticity

High level of integrity.
Medium level of authenticity.

Condition

Fair

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
Aerial Photographs Landgate
William Street Conservation Plan: A Heritage Assessment and Conservation Policy for the Buildings on the Eastern Strip of William Street between Roe and Aberdeen Streets Building Mnagement Authority November 1995
Cons 4156/65 Metropolitan Water Supply Survey Plans State Records Office of WA
The Village Northbridge Heritage Inventory - Part 2 - Pages 175-349 ACH Portal (Heritage) - Develop WA - MRA August 2002
CM 148021/20 William Street Heritage Area Study Palassis Architects 2011
inHerit
Draft Municipal Inventory City of Perth
Post Office Directories State Library of Western Australia
Draft Municipal Heritage Inventory City of Perth 2001
Visual Assessment
Building Style

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use COMMERCIAL Restaurant
Original Use COMMERCIAL Shop\Retail Store {single}

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall BRICK Rendered Brick

Creation Date

11 May 2002

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

05 Aug 2024

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.