ST JAMES' VILLAGE PRECINCT
1-17 & 2-18 DAME PATTIE AVENUE, PAKENHAM, CARDINIA SHIRE
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The St James' Village, comprising the houses and front fences at 1-17 and 2-18 Dame Pattie Avenue, Pakenham is significant. The first stage of the St James' Village, an initiative of the Pakenham St James' Parish, was officially opened by the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne in 1959 and all of the houses were completed by 1962. In 1966the building at No.18 was constructed as a meeting room, but was later converted to a house.
The estate consists of 18 small timber houses along Dame Pattie Avenue. The curved roadway is narrow and the houses are set close to the street and to each other, creating an unusually cohesive urban environment. All the houses are weatherboard, now over-clad in aluminium 'weatherboards' with the same appearance. The majority of the houses closely match in design, with variation provided by mirroring of the plan on alternate blocks, differing tile colour to the gable roofs, glazed porches to the houses on the south side of the street, and patterning to the continuous low red brick front fence in front of some of the houses. At the beginning of the street further variation is provided by the use of hip roofs, and the quite different design of Nos. 1 and 4, which still maintain the materials and scale of the other houses. At the end of the street, Nos. 14 and 16, and 15 and 17 are duplex versions of otherwise matching design, while No 18 facing the cul-de-sac is a smaller and simpler version.
Non-original alterations and additions to the houses and the garage at the rear of 1 Dame Pattie Avenue are not significant.
How is it significant?
The St James' Village precinct is of local historical, aesthetic and architectural significance to Cardinia Shire.
Why is it significant?
The St James' Village is historically significant for its associations with response of the Anglican Church to the ever-increasing need for aged care accommodation in the post-war era when the Diocese of Melbourne decided to become actively involved in the provision of aged care facilities. The St James' Estate is associated with the social services work of the Anglican Church, both in the Diocese of Melbourne and locally within the St James' Parish of Pakenham, and in particular with the Anglican Homes for the Elderly, which was one of the key initiatives of Archbishop Booth after he was ordained in 1942 and he later described it as 'one of his most significant works'. It is associated with the expansion of aged care facilities in the post-war era that was made possible by the first Federal Government grants made in accordance with the Aged Persons Homes Act of 1954. While the Federal subsidy provided some of the money, the establishment of such accommodation also depended upon financial assistance from the church, donations of land, money and skills by local people and, in this case, the Council, which is demonstrated by the provision of paved streets and footpaths. (Criteria A, H)
The St James' Village is significant as a representative example of the 'independent living unit' type of aged care accommodation, which in 1960 was said by the Victorian Director of Social Services to be the best complex of its kind in Victoria. This type of aged care accommodation has been provided since the first 'almshouses' for the elderly were established in Melbourne in the 1860s and the earliest surviving examples include the Old Colonists' Homes and the Royal Freemasons Homes. As the name suggests, this type comprises self-contained houses (and, in the post-war era, flats) that are usually arranged facing a street or roadway in the manner of a 'normal' residential subdivision. However, a distinguishing feature is usually the inclusion of a building providing communal facilities for residents to meet and socialise, or to serve as a sick bay. The building at 18 Dame Pattie Avenue originally served this purpose, but was later converted to become a residence. (Criterion D)
The St James' Village is aesthetically and architecturally significant as an unusually scaled and substantially intact precinct of mostly closely matching small houses, but with all the allotments and houses at a reduced scale. With facades varying mainly by mirroring of the plan and the presence or absence of glazed porches, the street has a remarkable uniformity, reinforced by underground services, close spacing, small front setbacks, continuous low brick front fences, and a sense of enclosure created by the narrow curved road. Monotony is avoided by the subtle variety introduced by the curve of the road, variations in the colours of the roof tiles and wall cladding, the fence brickwork, as well as by the few houses with different plans or roof form at one end, and two pairs of duplexes at the other. The houses themselves, although small, are carefully designed. The slightly projecting glazed porch provides variety, some sun protection to the houses on the south side of the street, and the large corner windows are generously scaled, providing plenty of light to the living area. (Criterion E)
Building schedule
No. 1 - 1958-1959. Longitudinal low pitched gabled metal roof , no porch, fence patterned. Contributory
No. 2 - 1958-1959. Matching facade to standard type, but with smaller window as corner type, and deeper plan and hip roof. Contributory
No. 3 - 1958-1959. Matching facade to standard type, but deeper plan and hip roof, and large windows replaced by window wall. Fence patterned. Contributory
No. 4 - 1960-1962. L shaped, gabled roofs, large window wall / corner window. Fence patterned. Contributory
No. 5 - 1958-1959. Standard type, but hip roof. Contributory
No. 6 - 1958-1959. Standard type. No porch. Contributory
No. 7 - 1958-1959. Standard type. Contributory
No. 8 - 1960-1962. Standard type. No porch. Fence patterned. Contributory
No. 9 - 1958-1959. Standard type. Contributory
No. 10 - 1960-1962. Standard type. No porch. Fence patterned. Small window located at corner and continues around creating a second corner window. Contributory
No. 11 - 1958-1959. Standard type. Contributory
No. 12 - 1960-1962. Standard type. No porch. Contributory
No. 13 - 1960-1962. Standard type. Contributory
Nos. 14 & 16 - 1960-1962. Duplex pair, hip roofed, no porches. No.16 has a carport added to the side. Contributory
Nos. 15 & 17 - 1960-1962. Duplex pair, hip roofed. Contributory
No. 18 - c.1966-71 Similar to standard type but smaller, smaller porch and smaller aluminium framed main window. Contributory
-
-
ST JAMES' VILLAGE PRECINCT - Physical Description 1
The St James' Village comprises 18 houses and front fences at 1-17 and 2-18 Dame Pattie Avenue, a short cul-de-sac leading off McGregor Road. The curved roadway is narrow and the houses are set close to the street and to each other, creating an unusually cohesive urban environment.All the houses are weatherboard, now over-clad in modern vinyl 'weatherboards' with the same appearance. The majority of the houses closely match in design, with variation provided by mirroring of the plan on alternate blocks, differing tile colour to the gable roofs, glazed porches to the houses on the south side of the street, and patterning to the continuous low red brick front fence in front of some of the houses. At the beginning of the street further variation is provided by the use of hip roofs, and the quite different design of Nos. 1 and 4, which still maintain the materials and scale of the other houses. At the end of the street, Nos. 14 and 16, and 15 and 17 are duplex versions of otherwise matching design, while No 18 facing the cul-de-sac is a smaller and simpler version.
Overall, the estate has a high degree of integrity and intactness.
Heritage Study and Grading
Pakenham Structure Plan Heritage Review
Author: David Helms Heritage Planning
Year: 2017
Grading: Local
-
-
-
-
-
KOO-MAN-GOO-NONGCardinia Shire
-
PAKENHAM GAZETTE & BERWICK CITY NEWSCardinia Shire
-
PAKENHAM HOTELCardinia Shire
-
153 Morris Street, SunshineBrimbank City
-
186-188 Smith StreetYarra City
-
1ST STRATHMORE SCOUT HALL (FORMER)Moonee Valley City
-
-