OBERWYL
33-35 BURNETT STREET ST KILDA, PORT PHILLIP CITY
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Statement of Significance
(Subdivided into 2 residences in 1996)
What is significant?
Oberwyl, St Kilda was built on the corner of Burnett and Princes Streets in 1856, as a house for merchant John Gomez Silva. It was established as a school in the 1870s and used for this purpose for a number of years.
Architect John Felix Matthews called tenders for buildings for Silva in 1856, and the following year an auction notice recorded Silva as selling a newly built, elegant two storey residence at this corner, then known as Etloe Hall. It is possible, although not conclusive, that both the tender and auction notice refer to the present Oberwyl.
The house was acquired by art patron, Elise Pfund and her husband, c1879 for use as a girls' school. Pfund renamed the building Oberwyl after a village in her homeland, Switzerland. It continued to be used as an exclusive girls' school and from 1886 to 1893 was owned by Berthe Mouchette, painter, teacher and co-founder of the Victorian Alliance Francaise with her sister, Marie. The first meetings of this organisation were held at Oberwyl in 1890.
Oberwyl was purchased by Adelaide Garton and Isabella Henderson in 1898 and run in association with Kalymna, a school already established by them in nearby Acland Street. By 1906 Oberwyl was one of the largest private girls' schools in Victoria. Garton continued the school at Oberwyl after her partnership with Henderson dissolved in 1909, and the building was used by St Michael's Grammar School until its closure c1935. Oberwyl then remained in the Garton family until 1996.
Oberwyl is a two storey rendered brick, parapeted building which displays Regency characteristics. The main facade is symmetrical, with emphasis placed on the centre by a slightly receding central bay. Openings are simple pairs of French doors, corners of the building are quoined and guilloche decoration frames the lower openings. A balcony, supported on an Ionic order, runs the length of the facade and may have been a later addition.
Additions made to the building include a ballroom c1860 and a two storey wing to the south east in the late 1870s. The colonnaded balcony may also have been added at this time. The upper balcony roof has been removed and the balustrade altered.
How is it significant?
Oberwyl, St Kilda is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
Oberwyl, St Kilda is of architectural significance as an early, large house which exhibits such typical Regency characteristics as restrained styling, and refined proportion and detailing. Despite later alterations, its earlier characteristics are still evident.
Oberwyl, St Kilda is of historical significance for its associations with the early development of this suburb, which became an important resort. As one of St Kilda's oldest surviving large houses, the original fabric provides an illustration of this suburb's development in the 1850s.
Oberwyl, St Kilda is of historical significance for its association with artists and educators, Elise Pfund and Berthe Mouchette, its prominence as a private girls' school over a long period, and its association with the formation of the Alliance Francaise of Victoria.
[Online Data Upgrade Project 2008]
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OBERWYL - History
Oberwyl, St Kilda was built on the corner of Burnett and Princes Streets in 1856, as a house for merchant John Gomez Silva. It was established as a school in the 1870s and used for this purpose for a number of years.
Architect John Felix Matthews called tenders for buildings for Silva in 1856, and the following year an auction notice recorded Silva as selling a newly built, elegant two storey residence at this corner, then known as Etloe Hall. It is possible, although not conclusive, that both the tender and auction notice refer to the present Oberwyl.
The house was acquired by art patron, Elise Pfund and her husband, c1879 for use as a girls' school. Pfund renamed the building Oberwyl after a village in her homeland, Switzerland. It continued to be used as an exclusive girls' school and from 1886 to 1893 was owned by Berthe Mouchette, painter, teacher and co-founder of the Victorian Alliance Francaise with her sister, Marie. The first meetings of this organisation were held at Oberwyl in 1890.
Oberwyl was purchased by Adelaide Garton and Isabella Henderson in 1898 and run in association with Kalymna, a school already established by them in nearby Acland Street. By 1906 Oberwyl was one of the largest private girls' schools in Victoria. Garton continued the school at Oberwyl after her partnership with Henderson dissolved in 1909, and the building was used by St Michael's Grammar School until its closure c1935. Oberwyl then remained in the Garton family until 1996.
The draft statement of significance and the above history were produced as part of an Online Data Upgrade Project 2008. Sources were as follows:
Argus, 16 June 1856
Argus, 28 March 1857
M. Lewis. Melbourne Mansions. Research Database
N. Lewis and Associates. St Kilda Conservation Study. Melbourne 1982
M. R. Theobald, 'Henderson, Isabella Thomson' Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1983
V. Peel. St Michaels' Grammar School. A Study in Educational Change. 1999
R. Peterson. A Place of Sensuous Resort. Buildings of St Kilda and their People, Melbourne 2005
Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, entry for Berthe MouchetteA portrait of Elise Pfund was painted by Tom Roberts c1887 and later purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria.
OBERWYL - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component.General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and planall works shall be in accordance with it. Note:A Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan.
General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works must submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.
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