West Australian Boot Manufacturing Company (fmr)

Statement of Significance

The former West Australian Boot Manufacturing Company structures are surviving elements of a major manufacturing operation and employer in the district. The place is a good example of robust Federation/Interwar Warehouse style. It has been adapted for contemporary residential development. The history of the place contributes to an understanding of the development of the area.

Physical Description

The Lake Street office building is a typical utilitarian factory and warehouse building of its time, with red brick pilasters and a stucco parapet into which the company's name is embossed. The two storey building is partially set below street level, so that the first floor is set just above street level and the ground floor appears as a basement, possibly for the storage of leather. Entry is gained through a door at street level. The door has a moulded stucco surround embellished by an entablature. The adjoining yard and warehouse has a grandly scaled brick wall the width of the street frontage, with a rendered base to the height of the office building's first floor level, rendered pilasters and a rendered capping with parallel label moulds running the length of the façade. The wider third bay of the wall houses sliding doors, solid to the bottom half and open in the upper half. The original factory building was a simple single storeyed brick building in Newcastle Street. The place has been converted into residential units. Zero street setback Extensive- adaptation to residential

History

The Western Australian Boot Manufacturing Company was established in 1907, in King Street, Perth under Managing Director William Robert Taplin. The other directors were Messrs Robinson, Edgar, Lilliam, Arcus, William Smight, Rochard Logan and William Dudney. The early sucess of the company was mainly due to Taplin's energy and expertise. In 1910, the Company purchased part of Lot N42 (Lots 1-4), 274 - 280 Newcastle Street, beside the Newcastle Club Hotel (now Arcadia). (The PWD sewerage plans, City of Perth & Suburbss' 1897 shown this block as the only one vacant along this portion of Newcastle Street.) A single storey brick factory with 4,000 sqaure feet (370sqm) of floor space was built on this block with a cellar at the rear for storing leather in a cool atmosphere. The factory itself was equipped was 'modern' machinery driven by a 5.25 horse-power motor. By 1913, the Company employed around fifty people and was producing over 100,000 pair of boots a year. It produced heavy and medium weight footwear for men, women and children, including the Harvester brand boot, which was popular in rural areas. The factory building was extended to the rear of the lot by the 1920s and the adjoining land at No. 117 Lake Street (Lots 5-9)was acquired. A two-storey building was constructed on the new site and in 1925 Wise's Post Office Directories listed the company on this site. No. 117 Lake Street was for the first time, indicating it was erected in 1925 or just before. The original single-storey factory building at No. 274 Newcastle Street and the new two-storey building at No. 127 Lake Street formed an L-shape around the Newcastle Club Hotel on the corner. The Boot Manufacturing Company occupied the premises until the 1980's. The buildings (a factory ,warehouse and office/showroom) were then vacant for some years until the late 1990s, when they were recycled for a residential development by the Giorgi Group. The Giorgi Group, which had owned the premises for some time, developed 16 townhouses in all, eight of qwhich were inside the shell of the old boot factory and 10 more on the adjoining site, which was formerly the Napoli Pasta Factory. The architect for the conversion was Brain Klopper of North Fremantle. The project recieved approval to go ahead in 1998 and was completed in 2000. This factory is one of several former factories and warehouses in the metropolitan area that have undergone a similar metamorphosis.

Integrity/Authenticity

Façade and shell - highInternally - generally low

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.