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Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct
Fairmount Road and Miami Street and Tooronga Road HAWTHORN EAST, BOROONDARA CITY
Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct
Fairmount Road and Miami Street and Tooronga Road HAWTHORN EAST, BOROONDARA CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct, comprising 1-29 and 4-32 Fairmount Road, 2-30A and 7-23A Miami Street, 471-483 Tooronga Road, and 347-357 Auburn Road, Hawthorn East, is significant. The houses, duplexes and triplexes were built predominantly in the interwar period. Subdivided in the early 1920s as the Athol and Stonyhurst estates, two of the original early Victorian villas from whose grounds the subdivisions were created remain extant (though modified); ‘Athol’ and ‘Fairmount’ villa at 8 Miami Street and 6 Fairmount Road respectively.
The interwar Mediterranean style triplex at 7-11 Miami Street is individually significant.
Original front fences at 8-8A Fairmount Road and 14, 15, 16, 17, 18-20, and 19-19A Miami Street are significant. The garages at 8 Fairmount Road, 7-11, 19A and 28 Miami Street, and 481 Tooronga Road are significant.
Non-original alterations and additions to the houses in the precinct are not significant, including second storey and other additions, replacement windows, new window openings, and new garages.
How is it significant?
The Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct is of local historic, aesthetic and architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct provides important evidence of the development of Hawthorn East in response to the opening of the railway in the late nineteenth century, and to subsequent intensification of suburban development that followed, associated with the intensive boom in residential subdivision between 1910-40, and the population expansion between 1911 and 1933. The early 1920s subdivision pattern and the interwar housing stock of the precinct provides strong and clear evidence of the suburban intensification that followed electrification of the railway in 1922. While ‘Fairmount’, at 6 Fairmount Road, and ‘Athol’, at 8 Miami Street, have both been altered, they remain legible as Victorian-era residences oriented to Auburn Road, and as such provide important evidence of the original Victorian era properties along Auburn Road, whose were subdivided in 1921 and 1922 to create the Stonyhurst and Athol estate subdivisions. (Criterion A)
Architecturally, the precinct is significant as a representative example of intact areas of medium and smaller homes in the south of Boroondara from the interwar period in a range of interwar architectural styles, including California Bungalow and interwar Old English, Mediterranean and Spanish Mission revival styles. Mostly the houses were developed over a relatively short two-decade period, which contributes to the visual unity of the precinct. Clusters of houses built to the same and similar designs enhance the visual cohesiveness of the precinct. A relatively high proportion of single storey duplex and triplex housing of high architectural quality and detailing distinguishes the precinct. (Criterion D)
7-11 Miami Street is of individual significance as a skilfully designed example of a triplex, distinguished by a number of features associated with the interwar Mediterranean architectural style. It has been assessed separately as an individually significant place (refer to separate citation for 7-11 Miami Street, Hawthorn East, HO771). It makes an important contribution to the historical and visual unity of the precinct, in particular for its architectural style and materiality, and the triplex form of the building. (Criterion E)
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Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct - Physical Description 1
Description & IntegrityThe Stonyhurst and Athol Estates Precinct consists of houses along both sides of Fairmount Road and Miami Street, between Auburn Road (west) and Tooronga Road (east), houses fronting Tooronga Road (west side), and houses fronting Auburn Road (east).The precinct contains a range of interwar architectural styles. It is given cohesion by the consistent set back of the dwellings along each of the three streets, the predominance of interwar housing stock, the longitudinal street frontages of the many duplexes and triplexes and some freestanding houses, and the groupings of houses built to the same or very similar designs.The houses in Fairmount and Tooronga roads were developed slightly earlier than in Miami Street; in the mid-1920s as opposed to the 1930s, and this is reflected in the built form and distribution of architectural styles across the precinct. Fairmount and Tooronga roads are largely characterised by a predominance of brick California Bungalows whereas in Miami Street there are more interwar Old English and Mediterranean revival styles represented.The Miami Street subdivision is characterised by shallow lots with wide frontages, and free-standing houses, duplexes, and triplexes with correspondingly longitudinal frontages. The street has a dogleg at its western end. The properties on the northern side of Miami Street at the western end were not part of the 1922 18-lot Athol Estate subdivision.Both Fairmount Road and Miami Street were planted with street trees by 1945, presumably in the 1930s. Fairmount Road is alternately planted with Plane and Brush Box trees, some of which could date from the 1930s. The trees line both sides of the road and the canopies meet to create a tunnel affect which contributes to the aesthetic qualities and visual cohesion of this part of the precinct. The street trees in Miami Street have been replanted with Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus).As noted in the history above, the precinct was subdivided in the 1920s from the grounds of three early Victorian-era houses, oriented towards and set back from Auburn Road. Situated on a rise, their elevated position would have resulted in commanding views of the district to the west. From north to south, the original houses were ‘Athol’, ‘Stonyhurst’ (demolished 1960) and ‘Fairmount’ villa. Although altered, Fairmount villa and Athol remain extant, at 6 Fairmount Road and 8 Miami Street, respectively. Both houses have been retained on larger allotments than the neighbouring lots in the subdivision. Originally a single-storey Victorian villa, ‘Fairmount’ retains original verandah steps and part of its slate roof and chimneys. Some original door and windows may remain, but these were not visible from the street. The house is rendered and painted and with a garage and new room along the Fairmount Road side. ‘Athol’ has also been altered with upper storey windows replaced and some openings modified. The walls are rendered and painted. The bracketed eaves, chimneys and orientation towards Auburn Road remain as evidence of the former Victorian Italianate mansion in the grounds of which the subdivision was created.
Some houses within the precinct are built to the same or similar designs, suggesting they were built by the same builder. There are several groupings of houses that fit this category across Fairmount and Tooronga roads and within Miami Street.The largest is a group of eight gable-fronted Bungalows, at 3, 9, 15, 18, 29 and 30 Fairmount Road and 471 and 479 Tooronga Road with the same built form, timber strapping and shingles at the apex of the gable and narrow, square red brick chimneys. The walls are of red face brick (overpainted at 15 and 18 Fairmount Road) and all have distinctive segmental arched openings to the asymmetrical verandah that is contained within the building envelope. The arched verandah openings are mirrored by the curved verandah balustrades, arched openings, and window sills and lintels are picked out in contrasting render. 3, 15 and 18 Fairmount Road have been overpainted and the front window has been replaced at 15 Fairmount. At 3, 18 and 29 Fairmount Road, the front windows have been replaced and verandahs infilled. At 18 Fairmount, the timber strapping to the gable end has been replaced with shingles. In spite of these changes, 3, 15 and 18 Fairmount remain legible as part of this grouping because the original form, brick walls and chimneys, and characteristic front gable have largely been retained. The houses at 14 and 19 Fairmount are similar gable-fronted brick Bungalows (19 overpainted and with second storey addition).
Other brick California Bungalows on Fairmount and Tooronga roads are built to very similar designs. All feature characteristic elements of the style in different combinations, with some repeated elements occurring, including terracotta tile hip and gable roofs, projecting gables with timber strap work (at 11, 16, 17, 23, 27 Fairmount and 477 Tooronga), tapered plinths to verandah balustrades (at 17 and 27 Fairmount and 477 Tooronga), tiled awnings over projecting front window with timber brackets, flat topped chimneys, red face brick walls with contrasting rendered capping to balustrades and plinths, and projecting timber window frames. Many of these Bungalows are largely intact, except for 16 and 23 Fairmount Road. 16 Fairmount Road has been overpainted and has a second storey addition at the rear, and the windows and verandah posts at 23 Fairmount Road, Hawthorn East have been replaced. In spite of these changes, these two houses retain key elements that clearly link them to the other Bungalows in this grouping.
The brick Bungalows at 12 Fairmount and 475 Tooronga roads were built to a further design. These two houses also display characteristic features of the interwar California Bungalow style, in particular the prominent street-facing gables and substantial tapered verandah piers with distinctive slab capping to the verandah balustrade with curved ends. The openings in the balustrade brickwork echo the verandah balustrades at 27 Fairmount and 477 Tooronga roads. The houses at 13, 19, 20 and 21 are built to a similar design (13 and 20 Fairmount overpainted, 21 Fairmount is non-contributory due an overly prominent second storey addition).
The precinct is distinguished by a considerable number of duplexes and triplexes with longitudinal frontages, both symmetrical and asymmetrical examples in a range of interwar architectural styles including the interwar Old English and Mediterranean revival styles and interwar Moderne style.Three triplexes are notable within Miami Street, a pair on either corner of Miami Street and Tooronga Road frame the entry into Miami Street – on the north corner is the face brick 32-34 and 481 Tooronga (north corner) the single-storey brick triplexes have elements of the interwar Old English revival architectural style, with brick gable ends and corbelled brickwork at the eaves, and four-centred arched openings to front porches. A prominent second storey addition has been constructed at 481 Tooronga Road). The clinker brick duplex at 18-20 Miami is another good example of the Old English revival architectural style. Other duplexes are designed in the interwar Moderne style, with characteristic features including streamlined curves and an overall horizontal aesthetic created by expressed brickwork, awnings, and horizontal window bars on the timber framed double hung sash windows.
7-11 Miami Street is a single storey residential building, located on an unusually shaped site formed by a bend in Miami Street. It comprises three separate flats, cleverly integrated to appear as one uniform composition. The building is designed in the interwar Mediterranean style – a style that is related to the Spanish Mission style, but with simpler and subtler features. Masonry walls are rendered and dressed with clinker (or ‘blue’) bricks. Identical vertically proportioned windows run around the perimeter of the building. Each window sits below a blind arch. Double hung windows have six panes to the upper sashes. Across the front if the building, windows are paired with a twisted column between windows. This property forms part of Amendment C287 which seeks to introduce an individually significant Heritage Overlay.
Miami Street also includes free-standing houses in the interwar Moderne and Mediterranean and Spanish Mission styles. The most notable is the Spanish Mission style house at 16 Miami Street, Hawthorn East which features a multi-coloured tile hip roof with double projecting gables and corbelled brick work. The walls are rough rendered and feature ornate decorative elements that include scroll patterns, festoons and shell or fan motifs. The low front fence appears to be original.
Unusual in the precinct is the single-storey weatherboard Bungalow at 24 Miami Street, Hawthorn East with transverse gable roof and projecting central gable, and rough-rendered masonry verandah balustrade with slab capping. Its broad frontage is consistent with the other dwellings in Miami Street.
The houses at 347-351 and 355-357 Auburn Road are brick Bungalows with prominent gables and terracotta tile hip and gable roofs, constructed in the early part of the 1920s. 357 was built slightly later than the other Bungalows, and this is reflected in slight stylistic differences, including the less prominent roof form.Heritage Study and Grading
Boroondara - Municipal-Wide Heritage Gap Study Volume 6: Hawthorn East
Author: Context
Year: 2018
Grading: Local
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FORMER ES&A BANKVictorian Heritage Register H0534
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KAWARAUVictorian Heritage Register H0489
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RIVOLI THEATREVictorian Heritage Register H1524
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