Banole Estate Precinct
Banole Avenue, High Street PRAHRAN, STONNINGTON CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Banole Estate Precinct is a residential area in Prahran comprising all of Banole Avenue and adjoining parts of High Street. The precinct was subdivided in 1914 as the Banole Estate and designated a 'brick area' in which timber dwellings were prohibited. The estate was almost fully complete by c1925 with pnly two minor infill housing developments occuring in the mid to late 1930s. Building stock on Banole Avenue is predominately composed of modest semi-detached dwellings built between 1915 and 1918. The precinct's High Street frontage is characterised by larger freestanding villas and bungalows dating from the early 1920s.
Elements which contribute to the significance of the precinct include (but are not limited to):
-high degree of intactness of the area to its c1925 state arising from the absence of modern infill;
-the repetitive character of the building stock and the regularity of rhythm of the built form, particularly on Banole Avenue;
-intactness of individual buildings to their original states. Dwellings typically survive with their
presentation to the street largely unaltered retaining verandahs and decorative render and timber detailing;
-the consistent, modest single-storey scale of the built form (the double-storey duplex at 9/11
Banole Avenue by Howard R Lawson being a notable and valued exception);
-face red-brick or render materiality and gabled or hipped roofscapes with chimneys and terracotta tile cladding;
-the generally uniform front setbacks and modest side setbacks;
-the consistent low front fences heights in most sections of the precinct; and,
-the almost total absence of modern vehicle accommodation in front and side setbacks.
How is it significant?
The Banole Estate Precinct is of local historical and aesthetic significance.
Why is it significant?
The Banole Estate Precinct is of historical significance as evidence of the major phase of suburban development which took place in the Municipality in the first decades of the twentieth century as the economy recovered and public transport networks were expanded (Historic Theme: 3.3.5 Recovery and Infill). The precinct also demonstrates a rare pattern of settlement in Prahran as a complete Edwardian subdivision. In this part of the municipality, Edwardian dwellings more typically occur as infill development in partially complete 1880s subdivisions. In addition, the precinct shows how the built form character of the Municipality was shaped by building regulations prohibiting timber construction.
The precinct is of aesthetic significance for its remarkably intact and cohesive collection of Edwardian and interwar housing. While individual buildings are reasonably typical of these periods, the repetitive rhythm established by the concentration of largely identical cottages on Banole Avenue is of particular significance.
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Banole Estate Precinct - Physical Description 1
The Banole Avenue streetscape is almost entirely composed of Edwardian single-storey, semi-detached cottages. These typically occur as matching symmetrical pairs although the example at 27-29 Banole Avenue has an asymmetrical facade designed to resemble a freestanding villa of the period. Most dwellings are typical of Edwardian domestic architecture in that they have red-brick walls with rendered detailing and Marseille pattern terracotta tiled roofs with half-timbered gable ends to the street and corbelled brick chimneys with terracotta pots. The repetition of gabled roof forms along Banole Avenue and consistent red brick materiality creates a streetscape with a notably high degree of uniformity.
The High Street frontage of the precinct is characterised by larger freestanding dwellings. A number of these were constructed between 1920 and 1925 and typically adopt an interwar bungalow expression which is characterised by simple, broad gabled roof forms with terracotta tile cladding, plain render or red brick wall surfaces and verandahs supported by squat masonry and timber piers. The villas at 496, 488 and 484 High Street are more characteristic of the earlier 'Queen Anne revival' style, having complex terracotta tiled roofs with half-timbered gable ends, red-brick walls and fine timber verandah detailing.
The precinct remains highly intact to its initial 1915-c1925 period of development and is especially notable for the total absence of modern infill buildings. The c1935 brick semi-detached pair at 3-5 Banole Aveune and c1938 brick villa at 51 Banole Avenue are slightly younger than most of the housing stock in the precinct but are nonetheless sympathetic in terms of their architectural character, form, scale and siting.
Early building stock in the precinct generally remains in good, original condition and modern extensions to houses typically produce only minimal impact on the streetscape. Front fences vary in terms of their design and materiality but most are low in height and do not detract from the early character of the area. Modest front and side setbacks have also provided limited opportunities for onsite car parking in most sections of the precinct.
Banole Estate Precinct - Historical Australian Themes
The following themes are drawn from the Stonnington Thematic Environmental History (Context Pty Ltd, 2006, Addendum March 2009).
3.3.5 Recovery and Infill 1900-1940
Banole Estate Precinct - Local Historical Themes
3.3.5 Recovery and Infill 1900-1940
Heritage Study and Grading
Stonnington - City of Stonnington Heritage Overlay Gap Study - Heritage Overlay Precincts Final Report
Author: Bryce Raworth P/L
Year: 2009
Grading: Various
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PRIMARY SCHOOL NO. 1467Victorian Heritage Register H1032
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PRAHRAN TOWN HALLVictorian Heritage Register H0203
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FORMER POLICE STATION AND COURT HOUSEVictorian Heritage Register H0542
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