Tunnel Cafe

Statement of Significance

The place has aesthetic significance as a single storey Federation Free Classical style building that contributes to the visual qualities of the highly intact streetscape. It reflects the economic changes in Western Australia, particularly the gold boom of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which resulted in heavy development of the street. The place has historic value as it represents a continuity of commercial use and reflects a multiplicity of uses which shaped the character and present diversity of the area.

Physical Description

Single storey commercial building with battlemented parapet and smoothly finished material to street facades embellished with pilasters and decorative capitals. Cantilevered awning.

History

The Northbridge area was a series of lakes and sandy swamps prior to colonisation. This area was used for market gardens from the 1830s. c.1845 William Street extended north from Wellington Street to Ellen Street (now Newcastle Street) and was named Hutt Street. Although aligned with William Street to the south, passage was not possible through Gooloogoolup (Lake Kingsford) to Hutt Street at the time. In 1873 the lakes were drained and in the late 1870s work began on the Fremantle to Guildford railway line with the Perth railway station constructed on the drained site of Lake Kingsford. In the late 1880s Hutt Street was on the periphery of the town with few buildings. The gold rushes of the 1890s had a profound effect on the state's economy and Hutt Street was one of the many streets of Perth that was heavily developed as a result. In 1897/8 Hutt Street was renamed William Street and by the turn of the century William Street south of Aberdeen Street was a busy commercial district. The construction of the Horseshoe Bridge in 1903 had a major impact on the role of William Street as an arterial road. A mixture of commercial, cultural and 'immoral' activities formed William Street's character. The present diverse social, cultural and commercial mix is a continuation of the character established around the turn of the century. Post Office directories show that in 1900 the building was occupied by a grocer, bootmaker, carpenter and laundry, and was originally Nos. 357-365 William Street. In 1949 the tenants included a draper, a restaurant, a fruiterer and Champion Butchers. The Metropolitan Water Supply Survey plan (1950) shows a row of four attached two storey shops on the north corner of Aberdeen Street at Nos. 283, 285, 287 and 291 William Street, with a truncated corner, and a verandah that extends to No. 187 on William Street, and for only a short length on Aberdeen Street. The rear of the buildings have various outbuildings including bathrooms and rear lane WCs, suggesting the buildings were both commercial (ground floor) and residential (upper floors).At 2022 the building is vacant, previously occupied by Shisha, a Persian Café/ Restaurant/Club

Integrity/Authenticity

High level of integrity. Medium level of authenticity.

Condition

Fair

Uses

Creation Date

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