House

Parent Place or Precinct

25394 Union and Redfern Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

For information on the significance of the Union and Redfern Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

5 Union Street designed as a modest suburban house, partly influenced by the Federation Queen Anne style. Key elements include: Asymmetrical plan, with a projecting wing on the southern side of the main façade. Tuck-pointed brickwork to the main façade with two contrasting rendered string courses – one at window sill height and the other at door head height. The later steps up to frame the highlights to the door and windows. Gabled-hipped roof, clad with terracotta tiles and extending in a continuous alignment over the verandah. Two tall face-brick chimneys with deep rendered caps (one on either side of the house). Prominent gable to the projecting wing. The face of this gable is finished in roughcast render, divided by five vertical timber battens. Stepped front verandah. This extends across the front of the projecting wing and then steps back across the remainder of the façade. The square timber posts have chamfered edges, which finish below two square-profile grooves at the springing point for the valance. The valance forms a wide, shallow, pointed arch between each pair of posts, with square timber balusters flanking a solid timber ‘key’ at the apex. Triple casement windows with square highlights, chamfered timber mullions and a projecting rendered sill to each of the two front rooms. Below each window there is a stucco under-sill panel with decorative arched and zig-zag detailing. Early Inter-war style, three-panel, high-waisted door with sidelight and highlight windows – all with stained glass panels with floral motifs. The house is set back approximately 4m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low face-brick wall with tall face brick piers and metal spear-topped infill panels. On the southern side of the block a driveway leads to a flat roofed, steel framed carport, which is fixed to the side wall of the house.

History

Perth Suburban Lot 255 was purchased by the Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company Ltd of Sydney in August 1890. Two years later it was transferred to James Chesters of 155 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, estate agent, and by 1894 Chesters had subdivided this land as Deposited Plan 899, with 42 lots laid out around Queen Street (soon renamed Union Street). The allotments to the west of Union Street were numbered 1 to 21, with four of these facing Hamersley Road (Lots 1 to 4) and four facing Heytesbury Road (Lots 18 to 21). An early subdivision plan showed 13 lots facing Queen Street but, prior to sale, these were re-subdivided as nine slightly wider lots (Lots 5 to 13 on Diagram 4432). According to the City of Subiaco Rates Books a house was built on Lot 5 for Harold Dean in 1915/16, and by 1916/17 Leonard Stockwell was the new owner/occupier. However ownership was not officially transferred from James Chesters until July 1919, when a new Certificate of Title was issued in the name of Matthew Samuel Dye. The house on this lot appears to have been built to the same design as 9 Union Street and it is highy likely that Chesters had built both houses as part of the speculative development he is known to have undertaken in various parts of his Subiaco subdivisions in the period c.1907-1916. Based on other similar cases, it is also likely that he had taken a deposit, with full payment to be received in instalments, but that the initial purchaser(s) had moved on before finalising the transaction. Harold Dean (a civil servant) had settled at 5 Union Street with his wife, Phyllis, and their two young children by 1917, but in March of that year he offered his household effects for sale after enlisting with the AIF. In the same month the house (which was then referred to as No 1 Union Street) was also offered for sale, for a small deposit and weekly repayments: AT SUBIACO - New Villa, attractive design, tiled roof, lawns front and back, modern conveniences, electric light; deposit £75, balance 25s. per week, no agents. 1 Union-st. Subiaco. The next ‘owner’, Leonard Stockwell, also remained here for a relatively short time, before 5 Union Street became the long term family home of Matthew Dye (a fireman), his wife, Elizabeth, and their four daughters, Mary (known as Mamie), Nina, Jean and Coralie (who all were born between 1909 and 1919). In c.1940 the Dye family moved to Nedlands and the house was then occupied by Eliza Ann Birchall, whose husband, George, had died at their former home in Lawler Street, Subiaco, in November 1940. Eliza then remained here until, or shortly before, her death in December 1960, aged 76 years. Historical aerial photographs indicate that a carport had been added on the southern side of the house by the 1970s and that various additions and alterations have been undertaken at the rear of the house over time.

Condition

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

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update