William McKay house
150 Durham Road, SUNSHINE VIC 3020 - Property No 120
McKay Housing Estate - Durham Rd
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Statement of Significance
Of significance to the City of Brimbank as a large well-preserved house for the area. It is of architectural significance to the City as one of a number erected early in the century in a precinct with other large houses from the era when this part of Sunshine, one of H.V. McKay's subdivisions, attracted substantial householders. Its size and prominence expresses the importance of its first owner, William McKay, one of the principals of the H. V. McKay Sunshine Harvester Works Company. Historically, the house is of significance for its association with the McKay family, notably the branch descended from William McKay, elder brother of H.V. McKay.
This McKay housing subdivision is of national historical and social significance as a part of a suburb created by Australia's leading industrialist and as a milestone in the development of the industrial suburb under the influence of the Garden City movement. Sunshine became a yardstick for planning and housing reformers, with H.V. McKay being regarded as an expert on planned industrial housing. The McKay estate is of regional architectural significance as it marks a crucial phase in the development of Sunshine, housing the resident work force which promoted further industrial development.
The group of houses in the precinct represent the type of houses built either by or for company employees and managers during the period of H V McKay's dominance of Sunshine's economy and development. Most of the remaining commercial premises, which formed the nucleus of the suburb west or the railway line, have been included in a separate precinct centred on the corner of Sun Crescent and City Place. While a number of original houses have been demolished, the remaining stock provides a representative sample of homes that are generally typical of the period, with several distinctive architectural designs, some of which can be ascribed to J Raymond Robinson, who might be considered the defacto company architect for the McKay Sunshine Harvester Works.
Characterised generally by steep gabled corrugated iron clad roofs (with hipped roofs on some of the earliest examples), weatherboard cladding and timber trimmed verandahs, the houses are also set on generous allotments, often with deep setbacks. These elements contribute to the garden suburb character that was intended in the original town planning designs, and perpetuated in the perceptions of Sunshine's character. It should be remembered that in the early 20th century, Sunshine's generous suburban estates were atypical of working class housing of the period.
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William McKay house - Physical Description 1
Description
This unusual attic-style, weatherboard and textured, stucco house has the appearance of a local hall because of its high gabled form, corner site and scale. There are window bays with multi-paned glazing to the casement lights. The attic balcony (glazed-in) and shingling to the gables all add to the period expression of the house.William McKay house - Physical Conditions
Condition/integrity
Generally an original exterior, but the balcony has been glazed in.William McKay house - Historical Australian Themes
4 Building settlement, towns and cities
4.1 Planning urban settlementsHeritage Study and Grading
Brimbank - Brimbank City Council Post-contact Cultural Heritage Study
Author: G. Vines
Year: 2000
Grading: Local
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MASSEY FERGUSON COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H0667
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HV MCKAY MEMORIAL GARDENS AND CHURCHVictorian Heritage Register H1953
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HV MCKAY OFFICESVictorian Heritage Register H1966
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10 Down StreetYarra City
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