224 Heidelberg Road
224 HEIDELBERG ROAD FAIRFIELD, YARRA CITY
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Statement of Significance
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224 Heidelberg Road - Physical Description 1
brick chimney and street faþade, timber framed corrugated iron clad buildings, long term industrial site
(Porta website)
`Established in 1868 and still going strong!
From the very start, Porta was a true family affair. J. Porta & Sons was established in 1868 by Joseph Porta at 146 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. It was the first industrial bellows making business of its kind in Victoria. By 1920, as business evolved, timber mouldings and other products were also manufactured and traded.
Whilst his elder son continued running the city business, Joseph bought land at Fairfield and established a second manufacturing business with his younger son John. JohnÆs sons, Jack and Leslie, developed the Fairfield works in the 1930Æs during which time dowels and other timber mouldings were manufactured.
In the mid 1930Æs, Jack and Les parted company and Les opened up a similar business in Sandringham. Jack continued to operate from Fairfield, developing the business through the acquisition of a sawmill at Tanjil Bren in Country Victoria. Jack PortaÆs only daughter married Norman Pizzey during World War II. On his return in 1945, he joined the company which subsequently became incorporated as J.W. Porta & Sons Pty Ltd in 1952.
Post-war Australia experienced a housing boom in the 1950Æs and 1960Æs. In order to provide properly prepared raw material for the rapidly growing timber mouldings market, the company built a sawmill at Heyfield in Gippsland.
This sawmill became a major conversion centre for logs harvested from the Central Highlands. Later on, additional sawmills were established near Warburton at Powelltown and also at Benambra, in the north east of Victoria. During the 50Æs 60Æs and 70Æs the company established itself as a major supplier of hardwood moulding to the Australian building industry, primarily in Victoria itself, but also through Australia via agents.
In 1979, NormanÆs son, John, took over the running of the business continuing to supply the building trade with hardwood mouldings. The Victorian hardwood mill resources were sold off in the 1980Æs and these resources were re-established in Tasmania, where they are still operational and being expanded, today.
In 1990 Porta redefined its marketing strategies. The production of commodity mouldings for new housing was abandoned in favour of entering the brave new world of merchandising quality hardwood mouldings for the growing DIY market. PortaÆs mouldings were literally brought in from the cold of the timber yard. Now they are an integral part of any DIY store, a market leader supported by strong merchandising and appealing point of sale literature.
Porta re-badged in 2000, a reflection of its current focus on the ôneedsö of the consumer. With substantial experience, entrepreneurial confidence and skills, Porta is broadening its product offerings to meet changing market demands and new markets.
This growth has been supported through the acquisition in 2004 of Goodwood Industries in New Zealand, the expansion of the mill in Tasmania and continued development of reliable overseas business partnerships. '224 Heidelberg Road - Integrity
[The focus of the following description is on the brick gable-roofed building on the north-west of the property, with a zero-setback frontage to Heidelberg Road, and the brick chimney stack to the rear of this building. These elements are evident in the 1945 aerial image, while the majority of the rest of the property was constructed after 1945. The more recent steel-clad gable-ended building abutting the west side of the brick building is excluded, as are the building components to the south of the stack.]
The property at 224 Heidelberg Road, Fairfield, is a timber mill and timber components manufacturing site, which still produces timber mouldings. It occupies a large approximately triangular shaped allotment on the south side of Heidelberg Road, at the corner of Yarra Bend Road; Fairfield Oval is to the rear. The complex comprises a series of buildings dating from the first half of the twentieth century through to late century.
The building to the west end of the Heidelberg Road frontage is a c.1920s overpainted brick building with a stepped parapet facade and a base in brick coursing chamfered out from the main wall. The wall is capped by a cornice in concave moulded brick supported by paired corbels formed from three brick headers, with the bottom headers having convex lower side curving. The large steel-framed windows have cement-dressed lintels. At the west end, the vertically planked loading bay doors are long standing. The roof consists of three north-south running gable forms, with a flat roof section along the west side, all clad in corrugated galvanised steel.
To the rear of the building is a tall corniced chimney stack in exposed face brick, with cream bricks spelling 'PORTA'; the stack has been strengthened by iron hoops (bands). The chimney is also visible from Heidelberg Road although the 'PORTA' sign is only visible from the west.224 Heidelberg Road - Intactness
Good
Heritage Study and Grading
Yarra - Heritage Gap Study
Author: Graeme Butler & Associates
Year: 2007
Grading: LocalYarra - City of Yarra Heritage Gaps Study 2012 (Heritage Gaps Amendment two)
Author: Lovell Chen
Year: 2012
Grading: Local
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PHOLIOTAVictorian Heritage Register H0479
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ST JOHNS ANGLICAN CHURCHVictorian Heritage Register H0197
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FORMER HEAD TEACHER'S RESIDENCEVictorian Heritage Register H1617
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