House

Parent Place or Precinct

25376 Duke Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The Duke Street Heritage Area is of: Aesthetic Value • Duke Street has a distinctive urban character that has been primarily created by the local road closure and public landscaping of the late twentieth century. • Within this setting the heritage character is derived from the modest, single, storey suburban houses dating from the Federation and early Inter-War era (c.1902-1924). Only one of these houses has been replaced (#3, c.1980s) and the defined period and nature of development has resulted in a complementary palette of materials and design idioms. Historic Value • The subdivision of this area was undertaken by the Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company of Sydney. This represents part of a much wider role that this company took in the development of Subiaco in the 1890s and early 1900s. • The collection of houses in the study area helps to demonstrate the scale and standard of houses built and occupied by people such as small business owners, clerks and tradesmen in the early twentieth century. • The study area was generally the place of residence for people who left only a small mark on the written records. However, it also accommodated at least two men who were prominent in the local community or were otherwise public identities of the early to mid twentieth century (see Associations - Residents, below). Representativeness • The study area includes a good representative collection of modest early twentieth century brick and timber housing developed in close proximity to the Rokeby Road tramway.

Physical Description

11 Duke Street was designed as a simple, but well-built suburban brick house of the early twentieth century. Key elements include: • Symmetrical façade. • Simple hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting. • Brick chimney with a corbelled rendered cap (set behind the main ridgeline). • Tuck-pointed brickwork to the main façade with a contrasting rendered string course at window sill height. • Dropped, bull-nosed verandah roof extending across the full width of the main façade. This is supported on turned timber posts and features arched frieze panels. • Central entrance door flanked by a pair of sidelights, with highlights over. • Two double hung windows set over a continuous sill to each of the front rooms. These have pain surrounds other than a curved, rendered, under-sill panel. The house is set back approximately 4m from the front boundary, which is defined by a scalloped picket fence.

History

A Certificate of Title for Perth Suburban Lot 277 and part Perth Suburban Lot 276 (totalling 5 acres and 18 perches) was issued in the name of The Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company Ltd on 18 September 1901. This area was subsequently laid out as a new subdivision, including ten building allotments facing Duke Street (Lots 13 to 17 and 18 to 22 of Plan 2352). On 10 September 1903, Lots 18 and 19 were transferred to Isabella Booker and the Subiaco Rates Books confirm that her husband, George Booker, had built houses on both lots by 1905. 9 and 11 Duke Street were both offered for sale in April 1905, although they do not appear to have been sold until c.1909: TWO FINE BRICK VILLAS. At Three P.M. Duke-street SUBIACO (close to Rokeby road Tram). CHAS. SOMMERS has been favored with instructions from the owner to SELL as above, Lots 18 and 19, of Sub. Lot 277, each having a frontage to Duke-street, Subiaco, of 40ft. x a depth of 137ft. to a r.o.w., upon which are erected two brick villas, each containing 6 large rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and washhouse, with copper and troughs. This property is well situated, being within a stone's throw of the Rokeby road tram. The houses, which are let at £1 per week each, are faithfully built and well preserved. Inspection confidently invited. In 1906, George and Isabella’s daughter, Daphne, married Henry Charles Modridge, a bricklayer who was the son of a local builder/bricklayer, Frederick George Mogridge. It therefore seems possible that the Mogridge family were involved in the construction of these houses. The houses in Duke Street weren’t numbered in the Post Office Directories until 1913, but the available evidence confirms that the house was initially rented out. In 1909 the Subiaco Rates Books listed the new owner as Lena Gago (or Gage). After this time, 11 Duke Street continued to have a high turner-over of occupants and it was certainly being used as a rental property in 1931: SUBIACO Brick House, 11 Duke-st, four rooms, kitchen, vestibule, 1 min. tram, two bus routes, rent 23/. Apply 114 Rokeby-rd., Subiaco. In 1939 it finally became a long-term family home, when it was occupied by Frank Herman Julius Grosser (carpenter) and his wife Regina Meta Grosser. Frank died in 1966, but Regina was still living here in 1972. Occupants of the property from its time of construction until c.1971 included: 1905 Emily Elizabeth Saunders, saleswoman 1906 Maurice Moore 1907 Harry Batchelor 1908 James Glencross, contractor 1909-1911 Samuel Plowman Day, plumber 1912-1914 Robert Milne, gardener 1915 William James Wright 1916 Otto Benjamin Nenke, piano expert 1917 William Turner 1918 Cecil Jacobs 1919-1924 Ernest Taylor 1925-1926 Alexander James Farrell, carpenter/builder 1927 Richard Hilton 1928-1932 Walter Adam Grier, clerk 1933-1937 William Charles Lucanus, labourer 1938 Mrs Ethel Sutton 1939-post 1971 Frank Herman Julius Grosser, carpenter (until at least 1963) and Regina Meta Grosser (until at least 1972)

Integrity/Authenticity

The external character, finishes and detailing of this place appear to be largely consistent with its original design.

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

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