Holmes Rd Residential
59-69, 48-60, 64 & 70-82 HOLMES RD and 1A & 1B GRACE ST and 2A, 2B & 2C GROSVENOR ST and 1-11 & 2-26 MILVERTON ST and 62-90 EGLINTON ST and 2-20 & 1-19 GRANDVIEW ST MOONEE PONDS, MOONEE VALLEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Holmes Road Residential precinct, which is a residential area comprising houses and one former shop constructed c.1880 to c.1935 at nos. 55-79 & 48-82 Holmes Road, 62-90 Eglinton Street, 1-19 & 2-20 Grandview Street, 1A & 1B Grace Street, 2A, 2B & 2C Grosvenor Street, and 1-21 & 2-26 Milverton Street, Moonee Ponds is significant. Significant features of the precinct include:
- The original form, scale, detached siting and detailing of the Contributory houses.
- The bluestone laneways at the rear of the houses and the bluestone kerb and channelling.
- The extent to which development in key periods before and after 1900 with Inter-war infill is apparent.
- The low or transparent front fences, which allow views to the front and side elevations of the houses.
- The relatively high intactness of the majority of the houses when viewed from the street.
On this basis, the following buildings and features contribute to the significance of the precinct:
- The houses or flats at nos. 62-78 & 82-90 Eglinton Street, 1, 3, 7, 11, 13 & 19 & 4, 6, 8, 12-20 Grandview Street, 50-62, 68-72 & 76-82, & 55-75 Holmes Road, 1-17 & 21 & 2-10, 16-26 Milverton Street, and 1A & 1B Grace Street*
- The original or early front fences at 1A & 1B Grace Street, 52, 57, 60, 72, 73 & 76 Holmes Road, and 7-11, 17 & 21 Milverton Street.
- The brick outbuilding at the rear of the house at 69 Holmes Road*
- The former Grand View Store at 79 Holmes Road*
- The former stables at 2A Grosvenor Street*
Non-original alterations and additions to the Contributory houses and the houses or flats at 54, 64-66, 74 & 77 Holmes Road, 80 Eglinton Street, 2, 4A, 9, 10, 15, 15A & 17 Grandview Street, 2B & 2C Grosvenor Street, 12, 14 & 19 Milverton Street, and the park at 5 Grandview Street are not significant.
*Note: 66 Eglinton Street, 19 Grandview Street, and 55, 62, 68 69, 78 and 79 Holmes Road are of individual significance and have their own Hermes place record.
How is it significant?
The Holmes Road Residential precinct is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Moonee Valley.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the precinct demonstrates important phases in the residential development of Moonee Ponds - the first during the land boom of the late nineteenth century, and the recovery leading to a second wave of development in the early decades of the twentieth century. The Inter-war houses and flats demonstrate the beginnings of more intensive development, often on infill sites subdivided from larger Victorian era allotments, that was encouraged by the electrification of the railway in 1919. As a whole the precinct is a good representation of the residential development of Moonee Ponds prior to 1945. (Criteria A & D)
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Holmes Rd Residential - Physical Description 1
The Holmes Road precinct is a residential area that comprises houses from the Victorian, Federation/Edwardian and Inter-war periods. Although stylistically different, most of the houses in the precinct are detached with similar front and side setbacks, , hipped and/or gabled roofs, and rendered and/or brick chimneys. Most front fences are low or transparent allowing views of the houses. Many are sympathetic and some are original.
The late Victorian houses mostly demonstrate Italianate influences such as symmetrical or asymmetrical massing with a flat or faceted bay, bracketed eaves, stucco wall finish polychromatic brickwork or imitation Ashlar in timber examples, paneled front doors with side lights, tripartite or timber sash windows, cast iron verandahs with tiled floors, brick and render or fully rendered chimneys (often with stringcourse and cornices). The brick or rendered examples are often embellished with stucco decoration such as moulded stringcourses, cornices, architraves scrolls, masks, consoles and urns.
The Federation and Edwardian houses often demonstrate Queen Anne influences such as asymmetrical planning, steeply pitched hip roofs with prominent projecting gables facing the street, half timbering to the gable ends, verandahs that are separate or an extension of the main roof with an with ornamental timber frieze or valance, tall brick and render chimneys with terracotta pots, and casement sash windows (sometimes with coloured toplights), that are often grouped or arranged in projecting bays.
The early twentieth century houses also include some that demonstrate the transition between the late Victorian to the Federation/Edwardian styles having the symmetrical asymmetrical form with a lower pitch hipped roof with bracketed eaves of the former and the simplified decoration and red face brickwork of the latter.
The Inter-war houses include the ubiquitous bungalow. Most of these are constructed of red brick and are gable-fronted, usually with a projecting gabled porch supported by straight or tapered render and brick piers. The gable ends are usually decorated with timber shingles or half-timbered and the brick chimneys are relatively plain. Some the later examples demonstrate popular styles such as Moderne and Spanish Mission, which emerged in the 1930s.
While there have been some alterations (e.g., replacement of windows, removal of chimneys, replacement of roof materials, overpainting of brickwork), the majority of houses are relatively intact when viewed from the street. While there has been some intrusive post-war redevelopment (e.g., flats at 64-66 & 74 Holmes), overall the precinct has a relatively high degree of intactness to the original development periods.
Also contributory to the historic character of the precinct are the bluestone laneways, and bluestone kerb and channelling in some streets.
Holmes Road
Holmes Road predominantly comprises late Victorian and Federation/Edwardian houses, with some Inter-war infill.On the north side the Victorian era houses include two storey Italianate mansions and double fronted villas. Two large houses or mansions provide 'bookends' at each end of the precinct - at the western end near the crest of the Holmes Road hill is the two-storey and verandahed house at no.78, while at the eastern end on a prominent site at the east corner of Grosvenor Street no.56, which is almost a mirror image in plan, and also retains its stables at the rear facing Grosvenor Street. Between or adjoining these houses on the north side are single storey Victorian villas at nos. 50, 62, 68, 72, 80 and 82. All are masonry either bi-chrome brick or rendered, except for no.72, which is timber and retains what appears to be an early timber picket fence. Although altered, no.50 is notable for fine details such as the tall tripartite windows, which have ovolo profile stop chamfers, and the incised decoration to the rendered walls, while no.62 is of note for its unusual triple-fronted form, and no.68 is a fine example of an asymmetrical bi-chrome brick villa (please refer to the individual citations for nos. 62 and 68 for further detail). Also of note is the house at no.82, which has distinctive features such as the decorative quoining at the wall corners and the ornate cement architraves to the main tripartite windows (which also featured twisted colonettes) and what appears to be the original cast iron verandah. The large arched opening in the side wall is also distinctive.
Interspersed among the Victorian villas on the north side are late Edwardian or interwar brick bungalows at nos. 52, 58, 60, and 70. No.52 is a substantial and intact Californian Bungalow, which is complemented by an original front fence, while the original front fence at no.60 features a lych gate. No.70 is also very intact and has the less common Dutch gable roof and features what appear to be metal shingles with decorative lattice vents to the gable ends. Entry is via the side porch with a flat roof.
At the west corner of Grace Street is a Moderne style house with a semi-detached pair, also with distinctive Moderne styling (the stepped chimneys and the parapeted porches with stepped pediments are distinctive feature) at the rear. As noted in the History, the sites of these houses once formed part of the adjacent Victorian mansion at no.78. A low brick fence along the two frontages provides a unifying element.
On the south side of Holmes Road with one exception the houses are all from the late Victorian or Federation/Edwardian periods and most are constructed of bi or polychrome, or red brick and retain slate or tile roofs creating a visually cohesive streetscape. At the western end, the former Grand View Store is a local landmark that defines the boundary of the precinct (please refer to the separate Hermes record for a detailed description of the building). Notable examples include 'Anastasia' at no.55, which is a fine and intact example of an Italianate villa in polychrome brick that features arched windows to the projecting bays. 'Anastasia' is one of several houses within the precinct that take advantage of their corner sites by having projecting bays to the front and side - others include nos. 56, 65, 67 & 68. Also of note is 69 Holmes Road, which, although Italianate in form, shows the influence of medieval architecture through details such as the Tudoresque decorated gable (it also retains an early outbuilding at the rear, which has a bricked up opening where nightsoil would have been collected), and 'Rusherville' at no.73, which is very intact and notable for the original highly ornate cast iron verandah, rich cement ornamentation to the frieze and chimneys (which have terracotta pots), while the slate roof features terracotta ridge capping. The timber picket front fence to no.73 also appears to be early.
At the west corner of Laura Street is the only Inter-war building on the south side. This two storey block of flats is of a simple design with a hipped tile roof and cream brick walls with contrasting bands of red brick, and cream brick chimneys. It is highly intact and complemented by a low brick red brick fence with cream brick coping. The stepped L-plan addresses the corner location in counterpoint to the Victorian house directly opposite.
The Non-contributory buildings are the post-war houses at nos. 64-66, 74 & 77, the semi-detached residence at no.54 (an extension to the adjoining Victorian mansion), and the two townhouses at 2B & 2C Grosvenor Street, which were constructed at the rear of the Victorian mansion and stables at the east corner of Grosvenor Street.
Eglinton Street
Eglinton Street between Laura Street and Grandview Street contains a mix of predominantly late Victorian and Federation/Edwardian housing, which are all notable because of their elevated siting above the street. The Victorian houses include the elevated brick villa at no.66 (please refer to the individual citation for further information), the only two storey terrace house at no.70, and a substantial villa at no.86. While no.86 has been significantly altered, it retains distinctive details such as the parapeted and arched side entrance porch and tall, ornate chimneys.The only Non-contributory place is the much-altered house at No.80.
Grandview Street
Grandview Street contains predominantly late Victorian and Federation/Edwardian houses on the east side and predominantly interwar bungalows on the west. Notable examples include the highly ornate Italianate rendered asymmetrical villas at nos. 8 & 12, the distinctive Federation bungalow at no. 18 that features a pyramidal hipped slate roof that extends to form a front verandah with twin gablets, the highly intact interwar bungalow at no.14 (with a distinctive arched porch that shows the Arts & Crafts influence), the highly intact house at no.20, which features original Art Nouveau style cast iron frieze.Also of note is the individually significant house at no.19. Although of typical symmetrical form, it is notable for the fine details, which include the ornamental tiles to the panels below the principal windows and the frieze, the recessed entry doors with original six panel door, as well as the elaborately detailed verandah fascia and the overall high degree of intactness.
The Non-contributory places are the late Edwardian house at no. 10, the late interwar or early post-war houses at nos. 2 & 4a, the flats at no.9, the recent townhouse at no.15A and the much-altered Victorian houses at nos. 15 and 17.
Milverton Street
The housing in Milverton Street reflects the key stages of development with predominantly Victorian Italianate villas in bi-chrome brick or timber, and Federation/Edwardian houses on the east side and Inter-war bungalows on the west. Notable examples on the east side include the transitional asymmetrical timber house at no.10, which features ornate timber trusswork and notched boards to imitate shingles to the gable end, the very intact asymmetrical Italianate polychrome villa at no.18 with fine details such as the ornate cast-iron verandah with paired columns, twisted colonettes to the tripartite window, and cement mouldings to the frieze and chimneys, and the symmetrical polychrome brick villa at no.20 that features a projecting gabled portico to the verandah with a matching gable to the roof above, and paired tall sash windows.The west side features a fine collection of interwar bungalows, most of which remain relatively intact and several (nos. 7-11, 17 & 21) are complemented by original front fences (Nos. 7-11 are of similar design with low brick balustrade and capped brick piers with tubular steel rails between). Features of interest include the less common 'Jerkinhead' roof to no.3, the Arts & Crafts influence to no.7 demonstrated by the ornate timber vent and simple brackets to the gable end and the rendered upper walls with tuckpointed brick quoining, the porch to no.11 that features another 'Jerkinhead' roof and arched openings with 'barley twist' columns that shows the influence of the Spanish Mission style, and no.15, which features a complex roof with gablets and a porch with compressed arch openings edged in clinker brick supported by simple brackets and walls of render with brick quoining.
Also of note is the Federation/Edwardian Queen Anne style house at no.5. This is of note for the Tudoresque details such as the half timber and roughcast to the upper section of the walls, and the bay window placed on the diagonal axis at the corner of the return verandah, which features tall sash windows with multi-paned highlight windows, while there is half-timbering to the gable above the entrance vestibule, and a shingled hood above the bow window to the projecting bay. The verandah also features an original timber verandah fretwork details and ornate turned posts, a tiled floor with bluestone coping and bluestone steps, while the chimneys are finely detailed.
The Non-contributory houses are nos. 12, 14 and 19.
Heritage Study and Grading
Moonee Valley - Moonee Valley Heritage Overlay Places Review
Author: David Helms Heritage Planning
Year: 2012
Grading: LocalMoonee Valley - Essendon Conservation Study
Author: Graeme Butler
Year: 1985
Grading:Moonee Valley - Moonee Valley 2017 Heritage Study
Author: Context
Year: 2019
Grading:
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