STATE ELECTRICITY COMMISSION OFFICE (FORMER)
337 ASCOT VALE ROAD, MOONEE PONDS, MOONEE VALLEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The former State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) office, designed by (or under the direction of) SECV chief architect A.R. La Gerche and constructed in 1923, at 337 Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds is significant. It is a two storey inter-war building constructed of brick with a transverse gable roof with a projecting cornice along the Ascot Road elevation. The side parapetted walls follow the roof profile. The front elevation comprises tall double-hung sash windows with rendered frames and sills in rows of four each on the ground and first floor and rows of six each in the side elevation. The entrance door is recessed with splayed side walls and a stepped brick arch inlaid with chevron pattern bricks. Above the entrance is a tall leadlight window providing light to the stairwell. Other detailing is minimal and include expressed bricks in a diamond pattern in the Young Street gable wall, a rendered band along the top of the first floor windows, a deep rendered band along the base, and rendered bands to the corners.
Non-original alterations and additions are not significant.
How it is significant?
The former SECV office at 337 Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds is of local historic significance to the City of Moonee Valley.
Why is it significant?
It is historically significant as a building that is associated with the takeover of private and municipal electricity networks by the SECV in the 1920s. This building, constructed just one year after the first SECV head office in 1923, was the first suburban office established by the SECV and represents the beginnings of the administrative network required to support the massive task of establishing the metropolitan electricity network during the 1920s. It is also significant as an example of the buildings designed by or under the direction of chief SECV architect, A.R. La Gerche. (Criteria A & H)
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STATE ELECTRICITY COMMISSION OFFICE (FORMER) - Physical Description 1
The former State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) office is a two-storey, plus attic level, brick inter-war commercial building situated at the northwest corner of Ascot Vale Road and Young Street, Moonee Ponds. The building has a transverse gable roof clad in corrugated galvanised steel sheeting, with its side brick walls extending up to form pronounced gable ends. The gable end facing Young Street has a diamond shaped motif in its brickwork. The gable on the north elevation is absent of detail and fenestration, which suggests that this elevation was formerly concealed by another building. The transverse gable roof projects over the east and west elevations to form eaves. The distinct character of the roof form, and its detailing, have been diminished by an unsympathetic upper level addition, which is interpretative of a dormer window. This addition has a curved roof and is clad in steel panels. It is unsympathetic to the remainder of the building in terms of scale, form, materials and style.
The main Ascot Vale Road (east) elevation is asymmetrically composed. On the ground floor is a recessed entrance at right. It has a semi-circular arched wall opening, with splade corners. Above the head of the door in the archway is brickwork with a Chevron pattern. On the first floor, above the arched doorway, is a rectangular window opening with leadlight glazing. A stair is visible behind the glass. The remainder of the windows on the building are rectangular in form, with the windows on the upper level smaller. The windows, which are of recent origin, are double-hung sashes and have steel frames. Rendered horizontal banding extends across the facade. A thick rendered band extends below the ground floor windows and a finer band above the heads of the first floor windows. Thin rendered bands at the corners create a quoining effect. There is also rendered moulding around the window openings, with a Classical moulding on the cills.
The south elevation is symmetrically composed. Apart from the detail in the gable end, it is relatively restrained in character and more modest than the Ascot Vale Road (east) elevation. However there is a continuity of the embellishment used on the Ascot Vale Road facade including rendered bands and quoining, and rendered mouldings around window openings. The rear (west) elevation is concealed by an adjacent double-garage in Young Street. However, from what can be viewed from Young Street, it has a similar form and detailing to the front (east) elevation. This side of the building has also had its integrity diminished by the exaggerated dormer-style upper level addition.The building is in excellent condition has a relatively high degree of external integrity.While the roof addition is large and somewhat dominating it has not resulted in the loss of any significant fabric and can be clearly read as an addition to the building.
Heritage Study and Grading
Moonee Valley - Moonee Ponds Activity Centre Heritage Study (2011)
Author: David Helms Heritage Planning & Management
Year: 2011
Grading: Local
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