SHOP & HOUSE, 90-92 MARINE TERRACE

Statement of Significance

Shop & House, 90-92 Marine Terrace is a typical single storey house with attached shop dating from the first decades of the twentieth century.The place has undergone significant alterations but original form remains visible. It is aesthetically significant as an example of Fremantle’s vernacular architecture. It is historically significant as a representation of working people’s living conditions in the Fremantle area. The place has historic and social significance for its former use as a ginger beer factory and 'Refreshment Rooms' in the 1920s and '30s.

Physical Description

Shop & House, 90-92 Marine Terrace, although substantially altered, shows the original form of a residence (at left) and shop front. The house is a single storey brick and Colorbond house constructed in the Federation Bungalow style of architecture. The walls are rendered. The roof is hipped and clad with (replacement) Colorbond. The shop front adjacent and closer to the pavement (no setback) has a recessed central entrance doorway, double timber doors and a top light. It is flanked either side by timber framed fixed pane shop windows. Recent (c2000) additions have added two storey office space at the rear of both original buildings. A low masonry and timber picket fence is at the front boundary line of the original house.

History

A factory was built on the site in 1921-22. The building cost £120 and was constructed for Mrs Jane Thomas. A brick and stone shop and dwelling were also built at the corner lot in 1923. In 1924 the place is listed in Post Office Directories as Thomas Brothers Refreshment Rooms, which it remains until at least the late 1920s. The factory on site appears to have been converted into a residence in 1939. In 1962, approval was granted to enclose the verandah with brick, which appears to have been a side verandah facing Russell Street. The Thomas family continued to be associated with the place until 1981. A family member recalls that the family made ginger beer at the place. Tables were placed on the verandah in summer and drinks sold to patrons. In 1989, the site included the former shop abutting Marine Terrace, with a two-room cottage perpendicular to it at the rear. Additions wrapped the west and south of these two main elements, bringing the building to the Russell Street footpath. Photographs at the time show the shop front with a six-panelled timber door recessed centrally, flanked by window bays. A curved pediment was smooth-rendered at the time but appeared as if it would have carried the name of the shop when it was trading. The cottage section, set back from Marine Terrace, has a hipped corrugated iron roof and a skillion verandah, timber-framed sash windows, and a timber door with sidelights and top lights. In the rear yard, near the Russell Street boundary, a single-room brick shed in poor condition remained. An archival report at the time noted that it was locally believed the shed was the former ginger beer factory, but disputed this claim. Photographs show the shed to be built approximately two feet higher than most garden outbuildings, with a door in three of its elevations, two of which have brick archways above them, suggesting an original use other than common outbuilding is likely. This place was included in the list of heritage places in the City of Fremantle identified by the Fremantle Society (1979/80) - RED -significant for contributing to the unique character of Fremantle.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium degree of integrity (original intent partially clear, current use compatible, high long term sustainability). Medium degree of authenticity with some original fabric remaining. (These statements based on street survey only).

Condition

Condition assessed as good (assessed from streetscape survey only).

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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