Brain's Building, 118-122 Napier Street, ST ARNAUD
118-122 Napier Street ST ARNAUD, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
The two-storey building at 118-122 Napier Street, St. Arnaud, makes a significant architectural and visual contribution to the predominantly Victorian and Federation streetscape. This store has significance as an intact example of commercial Federation Free style design, constructed in 1907 for Richard Brain and designed by prolific Ballarat based architect William G. Kell, who was born in St. Arnaud. The Brain family were early settlers in the district and, after first leasing the building to an importing and dressmaking company called Tregs, operated a Furniture Store there for many decades until they sold the building to a former Shire. councillor, Maurie McGrath, in the mid to late 1970s.
The two-storey building at 118-122 Napier Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original design qualities of a commercial Federation Free style. These qualities include the two storey composition and the dominant, picturesque parapet roof form having stylised pediments and piers surmounted by stylised urns. Other intact qualities including the the projecting cornice located beneath the parapet and punctuated by decorative motifs on consoles, unpainted brick wall construction with cement dressing, decorative corner construction, incised rectangular signage panels which read: "Maurie McGrath Farm Machinery, Machinery", single, timber framed double hung windows with a white painted rendered band at sill level, broadly projecting bullnosed verandah clad in striped painted galvanised corrugated iron, cast iron verandah columns on bluestone pedestals and decorated with capital moulds, unusual brackets with trefoil motifs and other unusual ornate ironwork, shopfronts with large plate glass wall planes having nickel-plated frames surrounded by glazed tiles and highlights, together with ingoes and glazed doors, and the parapeted, unpainted brick rear wing fronting Jones Street.
The two-storey building at 118-122 Napier Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with commercial developments in St. Arnaud in the early 20th century and more particularly with Richard Brain, an hotelier and the son of an early settler in the district, from 1907. The building is also associated with millinery, dressmaking and costume making, as well as a bakery in the early years of the 20th century. It has further associations with the Furniture Store operated by the Brain family, from c.1919 until the mid-late 1970s and with the McGrath family from the mid-late 1970s until the present day. The building is also particularly associated with its designer, Ballarat based architect William G. Kell, who was born in St. Arnaud.
The two-storey building at 118-122 Napier Street is socially significant at a LOCAL level. It is recognised by the St. Arnaud community as an early and major 20th century commercial enterprise in the town owned first by the Brain family, early settlers in the district, and then by Maurie McGrath, a former Shire councillor.
Overall, the two-storey building at 118-122 Napier Street, St. Arnaud, is of LOCAL significance.
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Brain's Building, 118-122 Napier Street, ST ARNAUD - Physical Description 1
The two-storey building at 118-122 Napier Street, St. Arnaud, makes an important architectural and visual contribution to the predominantly Victorian and Federation streetscape.
The two storey, unpainted brick (with cement dressings), Federation Free style building is characterised by a dominant, picturesque parapet roof form having stylised pediments and piers surmounted by stylised urns. A projecting cornice is located beneath the parapet and is punctuated by early decorative motifs on consoles. The corner is emphasised by similar decorative construction. The remaining upper reaches of the building have incised rectangular signage panels which read: "Maurie McGrath Farm Machinery, Machinery". The first floor is characterised by unpainted brick walls and a regular arrangement of early single, timber framed double hung windows, with a white rendered band at sill level. Another distinctive feature of the design is the broadly projecting bullnosed verandah, clad in striped painted galvanised corrugated iron. The verandah is supported by early cast iron columns on pedestals and decorated with capital moulds, unusual brackets with trefoil motifs and other unusual ornate ironwork. The shopfronts also appear to be early, with large plate glass wall planes having nickel-plated frames surrounded by glazed tiles and highlights, together with ingoes and early glazed doors. At the rear of the building on the Jones Street frontage is a parapeted, unpainted brick wing with early timber framed double hung windows.
Heritage Study and Grading
Northern Grampians - Shire of Northern Grampians - Stage 2 Heritage Study
Author: Wendy Jacobs, Vicki Johnson, David Rowe, Phil Taylor
Year: 2004
Grading: Local
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CROWN LAND OFFICEVictorian Heritage Register H1530
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ST ARNAUD RAILWAY STATIONVictorian Heritage Register H1594
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LORD NELSON TAILINGS DUMPVictorian Heritage Inventory
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