Duplex, 59 Lukin Street, Beverley

Values

As an example of former temporary accommodation constructed for migrant and Australian tradesman post-war, known at the time as Tradesmen’s Flats, the place illustrates the impact of migration to Western Australia in context of State Housing Commission (SHC) actions to address critical skilled labour shortages during the post-war housing crisis.

The subsequent relocation and repurposing of the Tradesmen’s Flats for regional social housing, which were commonly replaced with higher quality social housing at their original sites, demonstrates the SHC’s practice of reusing its housing stock in response to changing needs as they arose across WA.

Deemed no longer suitable for Metropolitan government housing, the relocation of Tradesmen’s Flats to country areas reflects the difference in standard of housing that the SHC provided for country areas compared to Metropolitan estates.

Physical Description

The place, which backs onto the Avon River in Beverley, comprises a re-erected timber framed and tiled duplex, the two residences mirrored with two bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, and laundry with bathroom and toilet each. The interior has fibre cement walls and ceilings, and timber floorboards throughout. Both units originally featured a heater in the lounge, but this has been removed in 59A. The façade is weatherboard to below sill level and fibre cement sheeting above, apart from the rear elevation which is clad entirely with fibre cement. The front porch of each residence features a brick privacy wall laid in stretcher bond with a simple decorative detail of regularly spaced missing bricks. The rear section of the property has a skillion roof with small additions on the corners of the building. The roof cladding of the bathroom and laundry portion of 59A is corrugated metal. Septic tanks and concrete enclosed pipe work are positioned close to the rear of each residence. The place is in fair to poor condition overall, and is of poor structural integrity. The ceilings in the kitchen and rear bedroom of 59B are collapsed, and the kitchen and bathroom amenities do not meet current standards.

History

Duplex, 59 Lukin Street, Beverley is a re-erected duplex originally constructed c.1950 as Tradesmen’s Flats and transported to Beverley in 1965. Tradesman’s Flats were originally built as part of the Commonwealth-State Rental Housing Scheme, mostly brought into law in 1945, which provided rental housing to tenants experiencing hardship, which could subsequently be available to purchase. Between 1949 and 1952, standard plan timber-framed flats of either two or four units were constructed in groups at Belmont, Fremantle, Beaconsfield and Midland, to provide temporary housing for British migrant and Australian tradesmen and their families. About 500 units were planned, of which over 200 were to be in Belmont. The Tradesmen’s Flats were constructed of asbestos and jarrah with plaster-board lining. Historic images indicate the flats were originally fully clad in timber, or timber to sill level with asbestos above. Each building had two or four flats comprising two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and bathroom, with a front porch that could be used as a sleepout. Constructing multiple units per building was more economical than single homes, and it was reported in April 1949 that four flats could be built for the cost of two Commonwealth rental homes. Despite previous complaints that the regulation 9ft 6in (2.9m) ceilings of Commonwealth-State rental homes were too low, the ceiling height of Tradesmen’s Flats dropped even lower to 8ft 3in (approximately 2.5m). From the late 1950s, the SHC began dismantling the ‘temporary’ Tradesmen’s Flats as they were considered inadequate. Units from Belmont were relocated in small numbers and re-erected as duplexes, and their original sites were refilled with brick-veneer homes. More Belmont flats were relocated to country areas in the 1960s, with the last moved in 1966. Twenty remaining in Fremantle were handed to the Department of Immigration for temporary housing of State-sponsored migrant families, while the Midland and Beaconsfield flats were demolished in the mid-to-late 1970s. The relocation of some of the Tradesmen’s Flats was part of the SHC’s practice of reusing existing housing stock and reallocating it across the state depending on need. Government employee housing in the nineteenth century was often timber-framed and either timber- or fibro-clad to enable relocation in event of changing labour needs. It is likely that future transportability was factored into the original design of Tradesmen’s Flats, as the flats were of timber-framed and timber- or fibro-clad construction and intended as temporary accommodation. Relocated Tradesmen’s Flats are still readily identifiable by their standard design features. The coloured brick feature-walled front porch was commonly used when the flats were re-erected, although brick elements do not appear to have been part of the original design. The survey of Lots 316-328 on the south side of Lukin Street, including Lot 324 where Duplex, 59 Lukin Street, Beverley is situated, was approved in 1955. The SHC plan for the two unit flats was reconstructed in 1963 from temporary accommodation flats plans, and revised in 1964. The building was likely formerly in Belmont or Ascot, but the exact location is not known. construct a pair of duplex flats on the east side of Beverley, where the SHC owned several lots, in response to a shortage of housing. Fielding questions about the housing type, District Member Mr H. W. Gayfer ‘pointed out that when they first arrive they will create a poor impression but when completed and ready for occupancy they are quite acceptable.’ By March 1965, Lot 324 (No. 59) Lukin Street was confirmed as the site for the new duplex flats. In late September 1965, the arrival of the major portion of the duplex flats as intact sections via two low loaders disrupted traffic on the main street of Beverley on two occasions. The process of transporting the flats without dismantling was slow. Guided by traffic police, the load took up most of the roadway and had to be jacked up slightly at bridge crossings. Some small trees were removed to allow the sections through. The Beverley Times reported in November 1965 that the new SHC flats under construction were almost completed, and despite initial condemnation by some, ‘now look most attractive. Coloured brick work fronting the buildings has introduced a very bright note and the buildings are most modern.’ The intended demographic of the new residents was not specified, but the enclosure of the porches indicate that the residences were designated for families rather than couples or singles. The SHC’s proposed erection of ‘native homes’ on two other Lukin Street lots was under discussion at the same time, drawing objections from local ratepayers concerned about the unsuitability of the sloping, flood-prone site, and impacts on property values. The duplex flats continued to be used as public housing over the following sixty years, with few changes made to the building. At December 2023 the Department of Communities assessed the existing dwellings as no longer habitable, and proposed for demolition and redevelopment of the lot for social housing.

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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