Mardegan House
5 Fairway Drive KEW EAST, BOROONDARA CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The Mardegan House and its grounds at 5 Fairway Drive, Kew East are significant. The house, built in 1966, was designed by eminent emigre architect Tadeusz Karasinski.
How is it significant?
The Mardegan House is of local historical, architectural and aesthetic significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
The Mardegan House (1966) is of historical significance as it is representative of an established pattern of architect-designed houses that responds to difficult sites, establishing the City of Boroondara as one of the foremost testing grounds for experimental architecture in Victoria. (Criterion A)
The Mardegan House is representative of the post-war design ethos, optimism and architectural modernisation pioneered by local and emigre proponent architects of the International Style, such as Robin Boyd, Ernest Milston and Dr Ernest Fooks. The design features honesty of structure and material, clean lines and an overall sense of innovation in design characteristic of this period, which is demonstrated in detail such as the cantilevered masonry structures and suspended footbridge. (Criterion E)
The house is a largely original design, one of the few identified examples, by an emigre architect with extensive European experience prior to migrating to Australia; comparable examples being limited to the prominent architects Dr Ernest Fooks and Ernest Milston. Prior to migrating to Melbourne in 1948, Tadeusz Karasinski held the positions of senior architect and department director in Polish local government, for which he was awarded the Silver Order for Distinguished Service by the Polish Government in 1938. (Criterion H)-
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Mardegan House - Physical Description 1
The subject property is located on the northern side of Fairway Drive, overlooking a grassed reserve and the Eastern Freeway beyond; the freeway is partially screened by a plantation of trees along its northern boundary. The subject property is bordered to the west and east by 3 and 7 Fairway Drive respectively.
The Mardegan House is a split-level house constructed from an unpainted exposed aggregate concrete structure, expressed brown bricks, and light-coloured stack-stone walling, with a flat roof and stained timber lined soffits to the underside of the eaves. A thick fascia to the perimeter of the roof conceals box gutters along its east and west edges. Given the sloped nature of the site, the lower-ground floor level of the house, which incorporates a carport, is located below street level. The ground floor entrance and porch are raised, accessed via white terrazzo steps at the end of a suspended, exposed aggregate concrete footbridge at street level. At the rear, a verandah extends along half the north elevation and is cantilevered, in conjunction with a large glazed bay of the house and is accommodated beneath the continuous roof form of the residence.
The house retains significant period features which adhere to its design in the late-twentieth century, many of which rely on the bare material qualities of its construction, including: cantilevered exposed aggregate concrete planters, and exposed aggregate concrete beams and columns; stretcher-bond and stacked brown brick; stack-stone feature walls and white terrazzo steps and flooring to the entry porch and anodized aluminium window frames. Additional original details include the decorative timber front door with dual bronze door handles; decorative metalwork balustrade, to the rear verandah, and vehicle gates in the driveway on the east side of the residence; and eave-recessed light fittings above the entry porch and rear verandah.
Alterations to the house appear minimal, consisting of the overpainting of the originally stained timber finish front door and replacement of an earlier worked metal lantern-style light fitting on the facade; and the glazing of a garage door opening at lower ground floor level, at the rear of the residence (Realestate.com.au).
Within the grounds of the house, significant landscaping features remain, including the suspended exposed aggregate concrete bridge, and associated front path, leading to the front porch and a pair of flanking cantilevered exposed-aggregate concrete planters. All landscaping in the front setback, while sympathetic, is a later creation when compared with early real estate images of the property. Sympathetic landscaping at the rear, while retaining some decorative boulders evident in earlier images, is also largely new.
Heritage Study and Grading
Boroondara - Municipal-Wide Heritage Gap Study Volume 4: Kew
Author: Context
Year: 2018
Grading: Significant
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