House

Parent Place or Precinct

26077 Salisbury and Rupert Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The place has cultural heritage significance: • As a good representative example of the many 4-5 room brick homes which were built in Subiaco during the early twentieth century to meet the needs and aspirations of middle-class residents such as public servants, senior office workers, small business owners, skilled tradesmen and single/widowed women of private means. • As a good representative example of the application of materials and detailing which were derived from the Federation Queen Anne style, but which were applied in a more restrained manner that suited the budgets and expectations of the middle classes in Subiaco during the early twentieth century. • For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentieth century houses. • For its association with the rapid development of Subiaco in the early 20th century and the small scale development by local builders, in this instance Hooper and Rasmussen.

Physical Description

• Generally symmetrical facade with a parapet wall along the southern side (allowing the house to be built up to this boundary). • Hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting. • Dropped, bullnose roof to the verandah. • Chimneys with rendered caps visible behind the ridgeline. • Painted tuck-pointed brickwork. • Other detailing to main façade. • Central entrance with a highlight and single sidelight. • This features a traditional 5-panel door and leadlight panels. • Tall, single double hung-window to each front room (opening to floor level with a high timber kick-plate). • Square timber verandah posts, with a verandah frieze of turned timber balustrettes (no brackets). • House set back approximately 5m from the Rupert Street frontage. Single lot width approximately 10m frontage. • Front yard enclosed by a scalloped timber picket fence, which is set behind a row of slender, tall trees.

History

The following extract has been taken from the Heritage Assessment of the Southern End of Subiaco's Triangle Precinct, Greenward Consulting, August 2018. No development took place in the study area until late 1891, when Lots 278, 279, 280 & 281 were subdivided as Deposited Plan 353 (later referred to as DP 2808). This subdivision included 138 building lots, with frontages to Heytesbury Road, Thomas Street, Nicholson Road, Rokeby Road, Mackay Street (later renamed as part of Rupert Street), Paterson Street (later renamed as part of Salisbury Street) and Finlayson Street. These lots were progressively sold from December 1891 (many to eastern states investors), but construction on these sites was initially slow. A plan dated c.1902 shows that, while the Rokeby Road frontage had been largely developed by that time, only about 15 buildings had been erected along the other frontages. In the Rates Books of 1905, J Connelly was listed as the owner of Lots 35, 36 & 37. By 1908/09 the ownership had changed to Hooper and Rasmussen and by 1912/13 a new house on Lot 35 (97 Rupert Street) had been occupied by John Jones. The readily available evidence confirms that the firm of Hooper and Rasmussen was involved in speculative residential development in Subiaco in the early twentieth century and it therefore seems likely that they built the three houses at 93, 95 and 97 Rupert Street in c.1908-1912. Based on streetscape views it appears that 93 and 97 were built to same general design, with only minor variations, and that similar verandah, door and window detailing was used for the facades of all three houses. The partners of Hooper and Rasmussen were Henry Rasmussen, carpenter/builder, William James Hooper, builder and possibly William Isaac Hooper, plumber/builder. In 1903 they commenced advertising new houses for sale with the tag line: 'Hooper and Rasmussen, Builders and Owners'. None of these men appear to have been married and for at least part of the time gave their address as the Victoria Hotel, Subiaco, or the ‘Subiaco Club’, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco. The firm continued to place advertisements for houses for sale until 1912, after which Rasmussen returned to the Goldfields (where he had lived prior to c.1903). This house had at least 3 different occupants during the first 10 years, but was then occupied for many years by the extended Bolger/Taylor family, with Mary Bolger being identified as the primary occupant from 1920. Mary Anne Markham (c.1872- 1941) had married Martin Bolger (c.1866-1913) in Queensland in c.1895 and this couple’s children included Thomas (born c.1889); Anna Evelyn (c.1890); Margaret (c.1896); Mary (‘Molly’) (c.1898); Thomas Joseph (c.1901); Kathleen Mary (c.1903); Martin (c.1904); Agnes (c.?); James (c.?) and Gerald Leo (c.1910). Mary shared the house with at least some of her children at different times and after Kathleen married George Rothery Taylor (c.1904-1971) in Perth in c.1928, this also became their family home. Entries in the Electoral Rolls suggest that Mary remained at 97 Rupert Street until around the time of her death. The house then continued to be occupied by Kathleen (who died in 1985) until at least 1980.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity -High: The place continues to be used as a private residence. Authenticity - Medium to High as the main facade has been reduced by the painting of the original tuck-pointed face brickwork.

Condition

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

Uses

Creation Date

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