Baker Avenue

Statement of Significance

Baker Avenue has some aesthetic significance as a cohesive row of dwellings exhibiting characteristics of the Inter-war bungalow style of architecture, which face Birdwood Square and provides a coherent character with varied detail. The dwellings contribute to the quality and setting of the surrounding area, and provide an important contribution to the vista of Birdwood Square. Its aesthetic qualities as a whole are defined by the overall form, style, height, setback and selection of materials of the place in contributing to the uniformity of the streetscape. Baker Avenue has some historic value as the dwellings were developed at a time when there was a change of focus of suburban development from development driven by land speculation to planned communities with particular emphasis placed on amenity as encouraged through the Garden City movement

Physical Description

Baker Avenue is located opposite Birdwood Square and runs perpendicular to Brisbane and Vincent Streets in Perth. The avenue comprises ten brick and tile Inter-war bungalows, which have a consistent setback and lot configuration, which responds to the slight curve in the avenue. Whilst all the dwellings along the street have different design features and presentations to the street there are a number of common elements, which include: gable ends with decorative battens in a vertical orientation; verandahs, which are supported by rendered brick piers with columns above, tiled roofs; timber casement window arrangements with mullion detail and consistent side setbacks. Only two owners of the properties along Baker Avenue contacted the Town to enable a site inspection to be undertaken. A number of original Building Licence plans have been located for the dwellings, which provide a good understanding of the form and layout of the dwellings. These plans are contained in Appendix 3 of this assessment. The majority of dwellings along the street have retained much of their original form, detailing and presentation to the street with the exception of two of the dwellings. The dwelling at No. 1 (Lot 2) Baker Avenue, which is located at the southern end of the avenue and has a side frontage to Brisbane Street, is completely concealed behind a garage and brick wall, which was constructed circa 1995. The place at No.3 Baker Avenue has had a second storey timber addition, which is well setback and comprises a white corner window and chimney. There are two high brick walls, which obscure the facades of Nos. 17 and 19 Baker Avenue. Baker Avenue is located opposite Birdwood Square and runs perpendicular to Brisbane and Vincent Streets in Perth. The avenue comprises ten brick and tile Inter-war bungalows, which have a consistent setback which responds to the slight curve in the avenue. Along the eastern side of Birdwood Square is Beaufort Street, which comprises a number of places on the Town's Municipal Heritage Inventory including; the Brisbane Hotel and Bowra O'Dea's Funeral Parlour. The existing pattern of development along the section of Brisbane Street near No. 1 Baker Avenue is characterised by a mix of dwellings constructed during the Gold Boom period in Perth (1890 - 1915) including Federation Arts and Craft Bungalows, semi-detached and single dwellings constructed in the Federation Georgian Style, together with more recently constructed commercial and residential properties and former municipal buildings such as the Brisbane Street Post Office, which has been adapted for alternative use and the Co-Masonic Hall. Birdwood Square backs onto the north east section of the street. Various

History

Birdwood Square is a place of cultural significance to the Nyoongar people. Named Chalyeding, the area was once a system of inland lakes, swamps and lagoons which extended from East Perth across the northern part of the city. These wetlands sustained the Nyoongar people during the late spring, summer and early autumn months when fresh water reserves ran low and food was plentiful. The wetlands were important for accommodating gatherings where trade and ceremonies took place. Other lakes and swamps in the immediate northern vicinity of the early Perth township were Lake Kingsford (site of the current Perth railway station), Lake Irwin (Perth Entertainment Centre), Lake Thomson (Mews Swamp between Lake, Brisbane and Beaufort Streets) and Lake Henderson (parts of what is now Robertson Park and Dorrien Gardens). Birdwood Square was originally known as '˜First Swamp' by the early European settlers. It was renamed Lake Poulett after the Fourth Earl of Poulett in the early 1800s, as it was fashionable for streets and parks to be named after English dignitaries at the time. It was also referred to casually as Lakey's Garden in later years. The lake was drained circa 1872 after severe flooding in the city. It was partially filled during one period of use as the town rubbish dump, but it is understood that there was a nursery established there at some stage. Later Chinese market gardeners began growing produce there. The Chinese were the first ethnic group to move into the North Perth area during the Western Australian gold boom in the early 1890s. The fertile soil and plentiful water supply of the drained wetlands were ideally suited to traditional Chinese farming methods. This enabled them to meet the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables resulting from the expansion of Perth's population to the north. One of the Chinese market gardeners at Birdwood Square was Joes Kong. He farmed the garden at the intersection of Bulwer and Beaufort Streets, until it was purchased by the City of Perth in 1913. As can be seen from early Perth Water Department Plans, there were a number of structures built along the south-eastern corner of Birdwood Square at the junction of Brisbane and Beaufort Streets circa 1897. However, these dwellings were demolished presumably for the creation of Birdwood Square in 1913 when the surrounding Chinese market gardens were purchased by the City of Perth in 1913. By this time (1913), the City of Perth was actively purchasing Chinese market gardens in the North Perth area for conversion into public parks and reserves. This was the result of the '˜City Beautiful' philosophy promoted by the visionary Town Clerk, W. E. Bold, in the early 1900s. The philosophy was picked up in the City of Perth's General Purposes Committee report in 1906, which stated that there was 'no responsibility more important than attending to the parks and reserves, which in all the big centres of population add so materially to the beauty of the city and so much to the pleasure of people. These occasional splashes of green turf, umbrageous trees and cool waters, standing out in pleasant relief from the sordid monotony of dense settlement, dust and smoke, are well called 'lungs of the city'. No vision of the city beautiful - the ideal centre for comfortable, convenient and pleasurable living is without such oasis in the desert of grassless roads of asphalt, closely packed houses and smoke vomiting factories.' There was also deep feeling within the community that the Chinese gardens (partly because of their use of human manure) were unsanitary and a health hazard. Bold undertook a tour of Britain and North America to gather information about municipal experiments and improvements. On his return he further developed his 'Greater Perth' concept to embrace satellite garden and seaside suburbs, and an overall plan on 'City Beautiful' lines. The 'Greater Perth' movement was implemented during World War I when Leederville, North Perth and Victoria Park joined the city; the inner suburb of Subiaco resolved to remain independent. In the mid-1920s the Council, at Bold's suggestion, invited the architects Hope and Klem to design satellite towns on the new lands at Floreat Park, Wembley Park and City Beach. It is understood that Birdwood Square was re-named in honour of Sir William Riddell Birdwood, who served as a Commander of the Anzacs in Gallipoli during the World War 1. At this time, Sir William was a household name in Australia. London Plane trees (Platanus acerifolia) were planted along the street boundaries of Birdwood Square as typical of the period. 'At the time, interesting specimen trees were used in lawns and to close off and create vistas.' Jacaranda and Brush box trees were planted along Baker Avenue as the latter were believed to be eminently suitable for street trees. The City of Perth Metropolitan Sewerage Map Plans indicate that Baker Avenue was not extant at the beginning of the 20th century and formed part of a large area, which was used for Chinese market gardening. The Wise Post Office Directory first list Baker Avenue in 1928. One can conclude from the above discussion that Baker Avenue was developed at a time when there was a change of focus of suburban development from development driven by land speculation, to planned communities with particular emphasis placed on amenity as encouraged through the Garden City movement. There are no records or references, which suggests that the subject dwellings were directly associated with W.E Bold who promoted the concepts of the Garden City. There are five people listed as occupants of the street in 1928, when it is first listed in the Wise Post Office Directory. The occupants were; Francis Green, John P.Waters, Oliver H. Crenllin, Henry Kell and Frank Hahn. No numbers were listed at this time It appears that by 1930 the whole street had been built out with the following occupants; Morris Hoffman at No. 1 Baker Avenue; No. 3 not listed; Sylvester Lane at No. 5; Dennis Fitzgerald at No. 7; John Waters at No. 9; Oliver Crenllin at No.11, Jesse Lawrence at No. 13; Robert Leslie at No. 15; Henry Kell at No. 17 and Frank Hahn at No.19. In 1938 the residents were Morris Hoffman (No.1), R.J Basstion (No.30, Mrs Elizabeth Gilligan (No. 5), Dennis Fitzgerald (No.7), John P. Water (No. 9), Charles I. Watson (No. 11), Ron Turville (No. 13), Mrs E Leslie (No. 15), Henry A. Kell (No. 17) and Frank B. Dungey (No. 19), who apparently worked in a salt refinery. In 1949 Bastion, Dennis Fitzgerald, the Waters family, Charles Watson and Frank Dungey were all still in the residence by the occupants of the other houses had changed.

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