West Hawthorn Village Precinct
HAWTHORN, BOROONDARA CITY
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Statement of Significance
HO494 West Hawthorn Village Precinct, Hawthorn
What is significant?
West Hawthorn village, comprising the buildings and public domain infrastructure generally constructed between 1869 and c.1920, and located at 57 - 107 and 60 - 86 Burwood Road. West Hawthorn village is comprised of buildings representing a narrow period of development from the 1870s to 1900 and has examples of late Victorian two storey shops that are consistent in scale and form with minor variations in detail and embellishment. The two hotels facing Elgin Street address their corner location and provide three dimensional form to the precinct. The former tea warehouse at 107 Burwood Road is considered to be individually significant for its early construction date and integrity, particularly on the Power Street elevation.
How is it significant?
West Hawthorn village is of local historic, aesthetic and social significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
West Hawthorn village is of historic significance in representing the transformation of Hawthorn from a rural village in the 1850s to a thriving Victorian town by the 1890s. It represents a continuous land use as a commercial centre from the 1850s, and one that predates the construction of the railway in 1861. Whilst the street now largely comprises buildings from the 1880s and 1890s, the former tea warehouse of 1869 at 107 Burwood Road predates other buildings in the precinct. (RNE Criterion A.4)
West Hawthorn village is of historic significance as a commercial centre that demonstrates the strategic location of Burwood Road as the earliest river crossing on the Yarra, followed by urban consolidation as a result of the railway, and decline following the railway extension to Glenferrie and the electric tram route into Power Street. (RNE Criterion A.4)
West Hawthorn Village is of aesthetic significance as a representative example of a Victorian commercial streetscape containing shops and hotels from the period 1881-1891. The comparatively narrow period that is represented by the present buildings is unusual in the context of Boroondara where a mix of periods and styles is more usually represented in commercial streetscapes. The groups of shop rows are relatively intact and have common elements of siting, scale, fenestration and ornament. (RNE Criteria D.2, E.1)
West Hawthorn village has strong social values as a shopping centre serving the local community since the 1850s. (RNE Criterion G.1)
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West Hawthorn Village Precinct - Physical Conditions
West Hawthorn Village extends either side of Burwood Road, bounded by the railway line and Elgin Place to the north, Power Street to the east, Morang Road to the west and Roche Street and Burwood Road to the south. Between Elgin Place and the railway line the land is being developed.49 The north side of Burwood Road has a higher degree of integrity than the south side where there has been demolition of several key buildings.
The urban form of West Hawthorn Village is comprised of two storey buildings with no setback from the property boundary. Post supported verandahs were once common, however these have been demolished and replaced with either cantilever verandahs or modern canvas awnings. There are few original ground floor shopfronts remaining although 63-65 Burwood Road (See Figure 23) is a good example of a shopfront contemporary with the building, dating from c.1920. 85-87 Burwood Road (Figure 18) has recessed entries and tiled stallboards and appears to have elements of the original shopfronts.
Several laneways between buildings give access to the rear of properties between 77-79 and 83-85 Burwood Road. These have subsequently been built over, however the laneway between 87-89 Burwood Road is still open.
The building parapets are a distinctive feature of many of the buildings and contain the traditional Victorian elements of balustrades, triangular and curved pediments, urns and cornices. Upper floor facades are generally intact and often contain lettering of the building name and date of construction. The material is cement render with red face brick to the backs of buildings. There is a good view of the rear of several shops from Roche Street.
A fairly typical building form is the single building composed of three ground floor shops and three to six windows across the first floor with one centrally placed parapet decoration. Lansely's Buildings at 97-101 Burwood Road (Figure 19) is a good example of this type.
107 Burwood Road is a key building as it displays the architectural characteristics of early-mid Victorian buildings. The side elevation along Power Street is especially intact with the chimneys and one and a half storey building at the rear (Figure 21).
The corners of Elgin Street and Burwood Road both contained hotel buildings. Whilst the former Gibson's Hotel at 71-73 (Figure 20) is now used for retail purposes, the Elgin Hotel still operates. It has however been significantly altered, but the original building form is still in evidence.
Infill buildings on the north side of Burwood Road have small frontages and are generally not too visually intrusive. However 67-69 creates a different orientation to the street that breaks the rhythm of nineteenth century buildings.
The former Terminus Building at the western end of the precinct would have also been a key building with its early Victorian splay corner following the line of Evansdale Road. The demolition of this building has been particularly unfortunate for the integrity of the precinct.
The modern development that has replaced two storey Victorian buildings at 88-104 Burwood Road completely alters the urban form of the precinct. There has been some attempt to punctuate the corner of Burwood Road with a free standing building, however this is not sufficient to restore continuity to the streetscape.
49 September 2009
Heritage Study and Grading
Boroondara - Hawthorn Heritage Precinct Study (Amendment C99)
Author: Context P/L
Year: 2012
Grading:
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AUBURN RAILWAY STATION COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H1559
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GLENFERRIE RAILWAY STATION COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H1671
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GLENFERRIE PRIMARY SCHOOL (PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.1508)Victorian Heritage Register H1630
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