Mary Street Precinct
5-15, 26, 30-32 and 34-36 MARY STREET, PRESTON, DAREBIN CITY
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Statement of Significance
The properties on the east side of Mary Street were created as the result of a c.1874 subdivision of the former property known as Shepherd's Run. It was first subdivided into six lots from 1872, then 107 lots in 1874. The properties on the west side of Mary Street were created as the result of a c.1874 subdivision by Henry Keele, who lived with his family in a house at the corner of Mary Street, while houses on the east side were situated between factories located at the northern and southern ends of the street.
The first new houses were constructed on the east and west sides of the street from c.1885, making the street almost fully complete at the southern end by the 1890s. Today, five of the nineteenth century cottages survive on the east side, and all six survive on the west side at nos. 5-15.
How is it significant?
The Mary Street precinct is of local historic significance to Darebin City.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the Mary Street precinct is significant as an illustration of the first phase of development that occurred in Preston in the late nineteenth century just prior to the economic crash of the 1890s, which saw development stall for over a decade. It is also of interest for its associations with the Keele and Bastings families. The historic value of the precinct is enhanced by its high degree of integrity and its rarity value as one of the few examples of a nineteenth century precinct within Preston. (AHC criteria A.4, B.2, D.2 and H.1)
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Mary Street Precinct - Physical Description 1
This is a predominantly late-Victorian residential precinct, in the vicinity of the Herbert Street intersection. Mary Street is oriented north-south and links Bell and Cramer Streets. The Mary Street precinct comprises the section between Herbert and Emery Streets.
Stylistically the group of houses is consistently late-Victorian, and predominantly modest single storey, brick workers' cottages; pairs of semi-detached cottages along the east side, and a uniform terraced row on the west side. The exception is No. 26, a weatherboard double fronted free-standing cottage built slightly later than the other cottages, either in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
On the east side of Mary Street, to the north of the Herbert Street intersection are two pairs of single-fronted, semi-detached brick Victorian cottages (Nos. 30-32 & 34-36 Mary Street). They are set back from the street boundary by small gardens. These houses are intact except for their front verandahs, which are of recent origin. As well, the house at No. 36 Mary Street has had its front window removed and replaced with an unsympathetic aluminium frame window. Minor differences in architectural elements between the two pairs of houses indicate that they were built by different builders and/or at different times.
Further south along the east side of Mary Street, on the northeast corner of a right-of-way, is a late-Victorian or early twentieth century double-fronted, detached weatherboard house set back from the street boundary by a garden. A timber palisade fence that extends along its street boundary is of recent origin. On its street facing elevation it has a central door flanked by double-hung sash windows. A verandah of recent origin (sympathetic) extends across the front of this elevation. The house has a corrugated galvanised steel clad hipped roof and a brick chimney of recent origin (sympathetic).
On the west side of Mary Street, immediately south of the Herbert Street intersection, is the original 1892 group of six single-fronted brick terraces (Nos. 5-15 Mary Street). The terraces are similar in scale, materials and architectural embellishment, and form a streetscape of Victorian terrace housing that is uncommon in Preston. The houses have hipped roofs clad in corrugated galvanised steel sheeting, except for No. 11 Mary Street, which has its roof clad in terracotta tiles. All of the houses, except for No. 7 Mary Street, have moulded rendered brick chimneys. The ends of the party walls have vermiculated mouldings and consoles. A verandah extends across the front of each terrace and two have a cast iron frieze (Nos. 11 & 13 Mary Street). The street facing walls of the houses are faced in polychromatic brickwork, painted on Nos. 5, 9, 11 & 13 Mary Street. Each house has a tripartite timber frame window facing the street. Fences along the street boundary are not original and range from sympathetic timber picket fences (No. 15 Mary Street) to unsympathetic low brick walls (No. 13 Mary Street).
Heritage Study and Grading
Darebin - Darebin Heritage Study
Author: Context P/L
Year: 2011
Grading: Local
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