Pair of terraced townhouses

Statement of Significance

The terraced townhouses at 2-4 Randall Street are sophisticated examples of their genre and were awarded the RAIA (WA Chapter) Award for Multi Residential development in 1999. The townhouses demonstrate the contemporary lifestyle potential of inner city townhouses.

Physical Description

This pair of three storeyed townhouses is developed to both side boundaries. Each unit replicates its neighbour. The sophisticated design presents a façade to Randell Street which is predominantly glass on the two upper levels, and garage and entry on the ground floor. The compact and open townhouses which open to the park vista on one side and graceful courtyards on the other demonstrate the contemporary lifestyle potential of the inner city townhouse. Setback- paved None apparent

History

Randell Street was named after George Randell, a builder and prominent elder in the Trinity Congregational Church. He had an illustrious career in politics becoming a Perth City Councillor as early as 1870 and in 1874 he was elected Chairman and the City's first Mayor in 1885. He became a Member of the Legislative Council in 1877 and Leader of the Opposition in 1894 and a member of John Forrest's cabinet. He was a member of the Central Board of Education, a founder of Perth High School and much involved in the foundation of Claremont Teachers' Training College. Randell Street is situated in the area immediately north of the main body of Lake Henderson. Market gardening activities were carried out on the bed of the lake after it was drained in the early 1870s, and the surrounding areas developed early. The European gardeners were followed by Chinese market gardeners who operated until the early 1920s. In the 1895 edition of Wise's Post Office Directories there were only six residences listed, one of which included a livery stables owned by Harry Ward (towards the Palmerston Street end) but there were no street numbers listed. The MWSS & DD sewerage plan shows a small, rectangular brick building, possibly a shed, on the site and, according to the Directories, Mrs L.N. Fairfield was residing there in 1898. (The circa 1912 PWD sewerage plans also show the same building.) In 1898 the next door house, No. 6, was occupied by Marcus Wilkins, a builder. It is interesting to also note that Thomas Newton, an architect with the Perth Water Department (PWD) occupied No. 10 and Alexander Walker, a carpenter, was at No. 14 '“ all three being involved in construction. Mrs Fairfield was followed by Mr Crawford in 1900, Thomas Guthrie from 1901 to 1904, Alexander Hicks in 1905 and George Collins in 1906 After that the site appeared to remain empty except that from 1925 a cordial works was listed on the site for a few years '“ no names were provided. By 1929 the building on the site was listed as a 'vacant store' and then, following that nothing was listed for the site in the Directories which ceased publication in 1949. Some time between that date and 1956 a residence was erected on the site as City of Perth records indicated building licences were issued in 1956 for additions to a storeroom and in 1965 to rebuild it in brick. In the late 1990s, the land was redeveloped with a modern three-storey duplex building designed by Chris Hair Architecture Urban Design and constructed by Gavin Construction Pty Ltd. In 1997 it won an Award of Merit in the Colorbond Group Residential Award. The judges 'congratulated Chris Hair on the elegant manner in which he had managed to site the two terrace houses within such a confined space' (The Architect, Spring 97 37.3, p.9). Since then a steel-roofed patio has been added to No. 2 (1999). The new development contrasts with the neighbouring weatherboard cottage at No. 6, which is still extant.

Integrity/Authenticity

High degree

Uses

Creation Date

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