COMMERCIAL BUILDING, 34-36 MARKET STREET

Statement of Significance

The place is of historic significance as an example of a commercial building in the Fremantle Town Centre dating from the early decades of the twentieth century. The place is a modest example of a commercial building dating from the first decades of the twentieth century that forms part of a group of similar places and makes a contribution to the Fremantle Town Centre streetscape.

Physical Description

Note: the entire complex of buildings southwest of Atwell Arcade is listed as 110 High Street, although most of the shops address Market Street. Commercial Building, 34-36 Market Street is a single storey rendered, truncated corner building, adjoining 28-32 market Street, and also adjoining 110 High St Mall. The building has a zero setback from the pavement. There is a bracketed parapet with engaged low pilasters. There are three pediments down the side of the Market Street elevation; two of them are gabled, one is arched. There are two gabled pediments on the High Street Mall elevation. There is a suspended, deep-boxed metal verandah awning, probably not original.

History

An 1870s plan shows no buildings on this site. A c.1888 photograph shows the corner of Market and High Streets, with what appears to be a single-storey brick building with a shingle roof with a truncated entrance across the corner. No awnings or verandahs are evident. By 1897, a plan shows an L-shaped building wrapping the corner of Market and High Streets, and a rectangular building adjacent to it to the north. The plan is not detailed or clear, but does not appear to show the northern building wrapping around the corner into Cantonment Street. 1898 and 1902 plans clarify that the building addresses Market Street only and does not wrap the Cantonment Street corner. However, a 1910 plan shows buildings wrapping from Cantonment all the way into High Street. The 1910 plan shows this as one building, but plans before and after suggest it was a run of abutting shops in a collection of separate buildings, presenting to the street as one complex, rather than one continuous building. A 1913 plan shows these multiple buildings, and indicates that an angular corner shop has been added to complete the run around the corner into Cantonment Street. Early occupant (1900) was Beehive Clothing Co. A 1916 sewerage plan shows seven brick shops along this portion of Market Street. The northernmost faces Cantonment Street and is numbered ‘1’, while its immediately adjacent neighbour, sharing an angled wall to the corner, is numbered as 32 Market Street. The shop at the intersection with High Street has a truncated corner, presumably an entrance, and is noted as 126 High Street. It is the beginning of run of six shops, numbers 126-136 High Street. All twelve of these shops access a triangular rear space divided into several yards, which include various sheds and toilets. The twelve shops circle from the north to the south end of an access way from Cantonment to High Streets. The layout along Market Street in 1916 appears to match that of the 1913 plan, with the exception that what in 1916 is shown as four shops numbered 38 & 40 Market Street and 126 & 128 High Street is shown as one building. A 1929 photograph shows the corner of Market and High Streets, with single storey shop buildings extending along High Street, and simple verandahs with advertising in the awnings wrapping the corner. A 1947 aerial photograph shows the shops much as in the 1916 plan, although the central shop along Market Street appears to have been extended to the rear to about twice its earlier depth. Each shop appears to have its own roof, most of which are gabled. Plans are on file for internal changes in 1958 to convert 34-36 Market Street for use as a bank for Commercial Banking Co of Sydney. As these include marble facing across the left bay and a flower box in the centre, it appears these plans were not implemented. In 2002, retail outlets such as Sussans (on the corner) and Barbarellas (in the mall). Currently (2010) various retail outlets.

Condition

Good.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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