HOUSE (DEMOLISHED), 15 JOHN STREET

Parent Place or Precinct

22385 North Fremantle Precinct

Physical Description

DEMOLISHED. Retained on MHI for historical information only.

History

John Street was the main road surveyed through the parcel of land granted to Lt. Con. John Bruce in 1857. The land remained undivided and undeveloped until after John Bruce’s death, when his widow arranged for it to be auctioned as residential lots. A land sale was held in October 1890 to dispose of the estate of John Bruce. A large attendance resulted in all 88 lots being sold, for sums ranging from £21 to £102, at an average price of £33/16/0, well above the anticipated price. Towards the end of 1891, the new owners approached the Fremantle Council requesting that scrub be cleared so that they could access their blocks, and it is likely that this is when John Street, which had been marked on survey diagrams from at least 1833, was actually created. The area at this time was known as ‘Brucetown’. Pensioner Road, which ran from Stirling Highway (then Bruce Street) to the ocean and beach along the route of current Tydeman Road between Stirling Highway and the railway, and continuing beyond this point at the same angle, was renamed John Street in the late 1890s, being the continuation of the current John Street. This name remained until towards the end of the twentieth century, when roads were realigned to accommodate the expansion of Fremantle Port, and the current alignment of Tydeman Road was constructed.

The present John Street, from Stirling Highway to the Swan River, developed as a predominantly residential area, with the exception of the Gresham Hotel (to 1934) and the North Fremantle Oval (later Gilbert Fraser Reserve). At the western end of the street a number of prominent homes were built, while the eastern end was characterised by workers cottages. Long residential blocks on the south side of the street, east of the oval, had a number of cottages built along their rear boundary, facing the water. These were reported to have flooded frequently. The street overall fell into disrepair in the decades following World War Two, with many of the larger residences used as boarding houses and the cottages rented out. Many German and Polish migrants took up residence in this period. From the 1980s, gentrification of the area began, with older places either being restored or demolished to construct higher density housing. In the 1990s, most of the older houses at the eastern end of the street were demolished to allow for new waterside developments, most notably Pier 21.

House, 15 John Street is a stone residence located at the rear of Lot 66, facing the river. It is also referred to as 2 The Esplanade. An 1893 timber cottage at the front of the Lot, at 15 John Street, was demolished in the 1970s, and the front (northern) portion of the Lot has remained vacant since that time. A 1939 plan shows the front house as a large timber residence with a front verandah and a wide sleepout to the rear. Facing the river at the south end of the Lot are a timber house (1 The Esplanade) and a brick house (2 The Esplanade). It has not been possible to establish when these rear houses were constructed. They are not on an 1897 plan. A long-time local resident has recalled them as being already extant in 1915. From 1896, the north and south portions of the Lot were transferred as separate titles. Eliza and George Willis, who had owned the whole of Lot 66, sold the southern portion to the Diocesan Trustees of the Church of England in 1901. From the 1930s until at the early 1940s, James Gibbs is listed as residing at 2 The Esplanade. In 1935, it was transferred to Elsie May Loane. Elsie May Loane is recorded on the title as having sold the place in 1951 to Jeremiah Greaney, after which it transferred (1953) to William and John Congear. In the 1980s she was reported to be living at the stone/ brick house at 2 The Esplanade, owned by her daughter Dawn Davies, who also owned the northern portion of the Lot from 1985. Dawn Davies established and managed a successful restaurant directly across the river, ‘The Oyster Beds’, for twenty years. After retiring in the 1990s, she began operating a bed and breakfast from 1The Esplanade, living at the newer place while her mother Elsie May Loane lived in the limestone cottage.

The timber house at 1 The Esplanade was substantially demolished to accommodate redevelopment of the place in a Spanish hacienda style between 1962 and 1973. Elements of the original cottage, including a brick chimney, are reported to remain. The existing house is immediately adjacent to 2 The Esplanade, which has been restored.

In 1999, Fremantle City Council granted approval for a development that would involve the demolition of both riverfront houses.

This place was included in the 'North Fremantle Heritage Study' (1994) as a place contributing to the development and heritage of North Fremantle. It was also included in the list of heritage places in the City of Fremantle identified by the Fremantle Society (1979/80) - RED -significant for contributing to the unique character of Fremantle.

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