Residences

Statement of Significance

The row of terrace houses at 15-27 Hay Street, Subiaco is of cultural heritage significance • As a relatively rare example of two-storey, Federation Filigree terraces in Western Australia; • As an example of the standard of rental accommodation built for small business owners and businessmen in Subiaco during the first decade of the early twentieth century; • As evidence of the major development of investment properties in Subiaco by Minnie and William Lloyd in c.1902-1906; • For its association with the entrepreneurial activities of Minnie Lloyd, who later went on the establish one of the first private lying-in (maternity) homes in Subiaco in 1909, and who then played an important role in local maternity services until her death in 1924; • For the historical and physical evidence it provides about the adaptation of many of the larger Subiaco houses as boarding houses during the inter-war years.

Physical Description

The terrace houses at 15-27 Subiaco Street were constructed in the Federation Filigree style. While they form a continuous terrace, they were constructed and managed as three separate pairs (with one pair of houses per lot and abutting end walls). Interestingly Nos 25-27, which included the home of William and Minnie Lloyd, is distinguished by: • a slightly more elaborate parapet • entry doors with double rather than single sidelights; and • tall recesses with a semi-circular heads to the side walls of the verandahs. Key architectural elements of the terrace include: • The originally unpainted and tuck-pointed brick walls, which feature two rendered stringcourses to the ground floor façade and one to the first floor facade; The original (and more aesthetically pleasing) character can be seen in the detailing of the walls to the ground floor of Nos 25 & 27. • The similar parapets to each pair of houses. Each pair of houses has a flat parapet with a slightly projecting moulded cap; square ‘posts’; and a raised, triangular pediment. In each case the pediment is flanked by plain parapet walls up to the first ‘post’ To either side of this, the parapets to Nos 15-17 and 17-19 have two rectangular openings, separated by a plain panel. The parapet to Nos. 25-27 is distinguished by a more decorative row of shaped concrete balusters to the end bays, together with remnant evidence of ball and ball & spike forms over the ‘posts’. The central pediments have matching forms, moulded frames and curved side ‘brackets’. They are, however, distinguished by variations to the stucco decoration to the central triangular panel and the stucco garland below the pediment.  Nos 15-17 has curved acanthus leaves to the pediment, with an open leaf at the apex;  Nos 19-21 has a central shield flanked by acanthus leaves;  Nos 25-27 has curved acanthus leaves with a furled leaf at the apex. The three garlands have variations of roses, daisies, seed pods and other floral elements, each strung from three lions heads. • The definition of the individual terrace houses by the projecting party walls to the front verandahs; These feature projecting, bracketed and vermiculated panels that visually support the balcony floor and raked balcony roof. At either end of Nos 19-21, the construction of the terrace as three separate pairs is demonstrated by the double walls formed by the abutting houses. • The iron lace detailing to the balconies (the primary element of the Federation Filigree style); This varies across the three terraces, but the surviving evidence suggests that the original detailing is most likely to be represented by the iron lace to the ground floor of Nos. 25-27 and to the balconies of Nos 15-27. The surviving turned timber posts to Nos 15,17, 23 and 25 also appear to be to the original detail. • Two double hung windows to each ground floor façade, with plain segmental heads, projecting rendered sills, and decorative under-sill panels (other than No. 21, see below); • Two French doors to the first floor façade, set under plain highlights; • Five-panel front doors, set under stained glass highlights; As noted above there are double sidelights to Nos 25 & 27 and single sidelights to the other houses. The doors and remaining stained glass detailing at 25-27 appears to be original. Major alterations to the primary façades, which vary between the three houses, include: • 15-17: Painted finish over the face brick walls. • 19-21: Painted finish over the face brick walls; new iron lacework to the verandah; new verandah posts; new front doors (to a traditional style); and the replacement of the pair of double hung windows to No 21 with a large square window with a low-level sill. • 25: Rendering and painting of the first floor walls; modification of the iron lace detailing to the balcony; and fitting of transparent plastic binds to the balcony. • 27: Enclosure of the balcony to No 27 with fibrous cement sheeting and louvered windows. The terrace houses each have a small front yard, set behind varied fences that range from timber and lattice to limestone and iron palisade. The rear yards to Nos 15 to 21 have been opened up as carparks for the offices in these buildings, but the rear yards to 25 & 27 retain an array of extensions and sheds. Inspection of these areas has revealed that, while the houses were described as two storey, the slope of the land accommodated a small lower-ground floor at the rear of each house.

History

Perth Suburban Lots 212, 213 and 214 had been jointly subdivided into 92 building lots by 1892, but initial development was slow and Lots 2, 3 and 4 (the subject of this report) remained vacant until c.1904. By this time they had been purchased by Minnie Lloyd and Minnie’s husband, William, had commenced work on the construction of the six houses. These were subsequently described and managed as three semi-detached houses (with one pair on each lot), but in reality they had been built as a continuous row (without the narrow side paths that would have more correctly defined them as semi-detached). The first pair of houses appear to have been completed by November 1904, when the following advertisement was placed: A New 7-roomed HOUSE, corner Hay and Thomas sts., all modern conveniences, low rent to good tenant. W. Lloyd, on the premises Work then progressed on the construction of the other houses, with William placing advertisements for tradesmen to work on this site through to mid-1905. The Lloyd family had lived at “Ravenswood”, Rokeby Road, until at least March 1905, but by July/August 1905 both Minnie and William were using the address ‘cnr Hay & Thomas’ or “Bombala” Hay Street which, together with other documentary evidence, indicates that they had completed and moved into 25 Hay Street. Newspaper advertisements calling for experienced tradesmen, and advertising rental properties, confirm that the Lloyd family were particularly active as builder-developers in Subiaco in the period 1902-1906. However, it appears that they over-extended themselves financially as, in December 1906, “32 new, well-built, and finished Villas and Houses, situate the best localities of the popular suburb of Subiaco” (valued at a total of £20,765), were offered for sale under the Bankruptcy Act, as means of clearing Minnie Lloyds debts. These related to residential lots in PSL 196, 213, 254, 276, 278 and 284. This debtor’s sale valued the six houses in Hay Street at £5,540 (or £923 each), which was considerably more than the smaller (4 roomed) terrace houses that they had built at about the same time at 18-32 Catherine Street - which were valued at £512 each. This reflected their relatively large size (with six main rooms, plus kitchen, bathroom and washhouse) and more desirable ‘elevated’ location near Kings Park. This additional value may have also reflected their construction as wider ‘semi-detached’ pairs, with subtle variations of detail - which also raised them above the standard of a utilitarian workingman’s terrace. It is also interesting to note that the value placed on the Hay Street terraces was greater than any of the Lloyd’s detached residences – which ranged in price from approx. £450 for single fronted dwellings to approx. £700 for double fronted villas. The houses may not have sold at that time as separate mortgagee sales were advertised for Lots 2, 3 and 4 in 1907. At this time the pair of houses at 15-17 Hay Street was described as follows (and similar, but separate, advertisements were placed for the other properties): Lot 2 of Perth Suburban Lot 213 (deposited plan 1508), C.T. Vol. 306, Fol. 81, having a frontage of 40ft to Hay-street by a depth of 117ft, 5ln, and 14ft. frontage to Thomas street, together with two semidetached Brick 2-storey Residences, each containing 6 large rooms, kitchen, pantry, bathroom, washhouse (copper and troughs fitted), verandah and balcony, erected thereon. The houses are both let to good tenants, are faithfully built, and altogether form a splendid rent-producing investment. (September 1907) In addition to the Lloyd family at No. 25, early occupants included Lemyn Ladies College (operated by Miss Ellen Thursfield at 15-17 Hay Street 1906-1907); the family of William Connell, a draper who had business premises at 782-784 Hay Street, Subiaco (19 Hay Street, c.1906-1915); and the family of Thomas Parsons, of T & FL Parsons, managers and attorneys, Yorkshire Insurance Co, Perth (21 Hay Street, c.1906-1910). This (together with the relatively high value placed on them in 1906) indicates that the terrace houses were built to a relatively high standard - suitable for small business owners and businessmen. However, by the time of World War One, the occupants had started to include skilled tradesmen and labourers – indicating a drop in status. The evidence reviewed for this report suggests that the three lots (each with two houses) were separately owned after the mortgagee sales and this has resulted in differences in their detailing and finishes over time. By the 1920s at least three of the properties had been converted into flats or boarding houses, including No. 15 (Mrs Ferguson’s boarding house, 1923-c.1949), No. 25 (Mrs Annie Carroll, 1921-1937) and No. 27 (Mrs Hannah Maria Scott, 1921-c.1949). For example, Nos 25-27 were advertised as follows in October 1921: AT 25 and 27 Hay-st., Subiaco, 2nd. section, Furnished Self-contained FLATS, double and single rooms, balcony, gas stoves, bath heaters, everything new, newly renovated. From c.1920 until at least the mid-twentieth century, the primary occupants listed for the other three properties included a high proportion of single women and widows – who, given the size of these houses (and their convenient location), may have also been supplementing their income by taking in boarders. In 2014, 25 and 27 Hay Street remain in residential use, but the remaining houses have been adapted as offices.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - 25 & 27: High - These houses continue to be used for residential purposes. 15, 17, 19 & 21: Moderate - These places have been adapted as offices but their original residential use is still clearly evident in their design. Authenticity - Moderate: The facades of the all of the houses have been altered to some degree, with the current detailing reflecting separate ownership of the three pairs of houses. Rarity/Representativeness - 15-27 Hay Street is a relatively rare example of its type in Western Australia. The rapid population boom in Sydney and Melbourne, which began with the commencement of the gold rushes in the 1850s and continued through until the 1890s, encouraged the extensive development of terrace housing in the inner suburbs of these cities. However, this prolonged mid-late nineteenth century population boom was not reflected in the other Australian cities and, while examples of two-storey terrace houses were found in most major settlements, it was not the common form. In the 1890s and early 1900s, the population boom that followed gold discoveries in Western Australia encouraged some speculative development of terrace housing in Perth, Fremantle, and newly developing suburbs such as Subiaco – however this was at a time when the style was falling out of favour in the eastern states and it never became a common form. Two storey terraces, in particular, remained relatively rare. Only three sets of early twentieth century residential terraces have been identified in present-day Subiaco: • 2-8 Catherine Street, Subiaco (attached group of 4) • 18-32 Catherine Street, Subiaco (attached group of 8) • 15-27 Hay Street, Subiaco (attached group of 6) All three of these were developed by Minnie and William Lloyd in 1904-05.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update