House, 93 Olive St, Subiaco

Parent Place or Precinct

27310 Park Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

For information on the significance of the Park Street Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

Note: 89, 91 and 93 Olive Street were designed as a row of three detached houses with identical detail. The only significant variation was that the layout of #91 was a mirror image of the other two. Architectural style 93 Olive Street was designed as a modest suburban house, with only restrained elements derived from the Federation Queen Anne style. It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable as a rental property for tenants such as office workers, retail employees and skilled tradesmen. Plan form at the street frontage • 93 Olive Street was designed as a simple, single-fronted house with the front room flanked by an entrance on the northern side. Roof form and materials • Gabled roof clad with concrete tiles (probably originally clad with corrugated iron sheeting). • Raked verandah roof with concrete tiles (as above). • Tuck-pointed face-brick chimney with rendered cap. • Prominent gable extending across the full width of the house. This has a roughcast rendered face set with a pattern of vertical, horizontal and diagonal timber battens, finished with a row of small triangular corner panels. Wall materials and finishes to the main facade • Painted brickwork (originally tuck-pointed). • Two rendered stringcourses, one at window sill height and the other at about 1.8m above floor level. Other detailing to main facade • Entrance door located on the northern side of the main façade, featuring a 4-panel door, traditional moulded architraves, single sidelight and highlight (stained glass panels replaced with obscure glass). • Bank of three windows to each front room. Each sash has 6 panes and the current openings are top hinged. • Two double hung windows to the front rooms set over projecting rendered sills and decorative under-sill panels. • Turned timber verandah posts. Lacework frieze and brackets. Streetscape setting • House set back approximately 3m from the Olive Street frontage. • Lot width approximately 8.1m. • Approximately 1.1m setback from north boundary and 800mm setback from south boundary. • Front yard enclosed by a low palisade fence faced by a clipped hedge.

History

Subiaco's population increased significantly in the 1890s due to an economic depression in the eastern states and the discovery of gold in Western Australia. During the 1890s property developers bought large landholdings for subdivision in the Perth metropolitan area. The original subdivisions in Subiaco were generally simple grid pattern developments with small lots suitable for occupancy by working families. However, the more elevated parts of the suburb, particularly towards Kings Park, also attracted business and professional men and some lots were later amalgamated to accommodate their larger homes and gardens. Mixed development occurred and within the Park Street Heritage Area this ranged from narrow, single storey terrace housing through to a large 2-storey house set in spacious grounds. The readily available evidence indicates that the number of houses within this area increased from around 24 in 1901 to 72 in 1906; 86 in 1910; 91 in 1915, 94 in 1920 and 13 by 1925. Development then stabilised, with 106 houses and 1 block of flats identified in 1949. Perth Suburban Lots 218 and 219 were subdivided as Deposited Plan 214 in the early 1890s. This comprised 52 lots, including 24 lots with frontages to Ivy Street, which extended between Barker and Bagot Roads (renamed as part of Olive Street in c.1901). In c.1911, three identical houses (#s 89, 91 and 93 Olive Street) were built across Lots 10 and 11. Entries in the Subiaco Rate Books state that the owner at around this time was John Harley, but no further information has been found regarding this man. The first known occupant of #93 was William E Nott, who lived here in c.1911-1912. The property had a high turn-over of occupants until the mid-1930s, which suggests that it was primarily used as a rental property. A review of the Post Office Directories at 5-yearly intervals (together with reference to contemporary Electoral Rolls) indicates that some of the primary residents during this period included:  1915: Walter Gilmore  1920: John Pender Bathgate (boot seller)  1925: Douglas Lowson (furniture manufacturer) In the Rate Books of 1929-1930 a Mrs Clarke was identified as the owner of 89, 91 and 93 Olive Street.  1930: Ernest Albert Stevens (barman)  1935: James Thomas Ashelford (police constable) The first long-term occupant was Mrs Ellen Cochrane, who settled here in c.1936. Ellen May Cochrane (nee Wilkie)(c.1908-1984) had married in Victoria in c.1930. However, she appears to have separated from her husband within a few years and had returned to her home state of Western Australia by the mid-1930s. Ellen (who was described as a machinist in the Electoral Rolls) remained at 93 Olive Street until around the mid 1950s. An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (dated 1927, updated 1955) and historical aerial photographs indicates that 93 Olive Street has had additions constructed at the rear, but the general footprint of the front portion of the house has remained relatively unchanged.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium: The authenticity of the house within its streetscape setting has been reduced by the painting of the main façade and the use of concrete tiles as a replacement roof cladding.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in a good condition.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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