'Oolite Villa' and 'Silurian Villa' (later 'Quorn')
31 Flower Street and 33 Flower Street ESSENDON, MOONEE VALLEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
31-33 Flower Street Essendon, a pair of Italianate terraces built in 1893 is significant.
Significant fabric includes the:
original built form (as a single storey, double-fronted terrace pair) and associated roof forms, original pattern of fenestration;
dividing and wing walls, unpainted face brickwork, parapet and its ornamentation, verandah (including columns, friezes and brackets), original chimneys, and
original window and door joinery
The fences and rear extensions are not significant.
How is it significant?
31-33 Flower Street is of local architectural (representative) significance to the City of Moonee Valley.
Why is it significant?
31 and 33 Flower Street, Essendon, are significant as a pair of Victorian Italianate terrace houses. The City of Moonee Valley's Italianate terraces occur in both single to double-storey form and single and double fronted. Terraces were less commonly constructed than detached houses during the Victorian period in Moonee Valley. Most terraces are single-fronted and sited on narrow allotments, however 31 and 33 Flower Street are part of a smaller typological group of wider, double-fronted terraces that include 5-13 Bank Street Ascot Vale, 1890 (HO157); and 4-14 Wellington Street and 1-11 Shields Street, Flemington c.1888-96 (HO122). This pair of buildings retain its original building and roof forms, parapets, party walls, verandahs and fenestration.
31 and 33 Flower Street, Essendon, demonstrate characteristics of the Italianate style through their decorative rendered surfaces executed in neo-classical design, including triangular pedimented parapets, entablature detail and corbelled brackets. As in most Victorian-era buildings, decorative attention is limited to the front facades with side elevations of the houses executed in plain face brick. The facade symmetry is maintained by the central front doors framed by matching double-hung sash windows with sidelights. Verandahs are supported by slender cast iron Corinthian columns also demonstrating neo-classical design and feature typical decorative cast iron friezes and brackets.
Overall the terraces at 31-33 Flower Street, Essendon, represent an uncommon example of a double-fronted terrace in the City of Moonee Valley, and they demonstrate a high level of integrity and overall intactness. (Criterion D)
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'Oolite Villa' and 'Silurian Villa' (later 'Quorn') - Physical Description 1
31 and 33 Flower Street, Essendon, comprise a pair of matching semi-detached late-Victorian houses, located on the corner of Flower Street and Miller Street. Flower Street is a straight and level street, which runs north-south off one of the area's main thoroughfares, Buckley Street, to where it meets Shamrock Street. The pair sits on the western side of Flower Street, with number 33 on the corner and number 31 attached to the south. The main building line of the pair is angled away from Flower Street, such that number 31 has a larger setback and more substantial front garden.
This pair of houses comprises mostly common features and matching Italianate or neoclassical details, although both have experienced some degree of alteration over time. The parapet on the northernmost property, number 33, is inscribed with 'AD 1896' and the name 'Quorn', but this is at odds with the historical evidence for construction and naming and is therefore presumably a recent alteration. Both houses feature symmetrical front facades that address Flower Street and have central front doors framed by matching double-hung sash windows with sidelights.
At both properties there is a minimal setback to the street occupied by two small front gardens. The garden of number 31 is roughly double the size of number 33 as a result of the street alignment and contains more vegetation screening it from the street. Number 31 has a low cement-rendered front fence with battlement motif which post-dates the property whilst number 33 has a cast iron palisade fence set in a rough cast rendered plinth, presumably of relatively recent origin. The front gardens between the two properties are divided by a wooden picket fence (again presumably of relatively recent date). The external walls are red face brick (front facades recently repointed). Two matching ornate upright parapets, rendered and decorated with classical motifs, screen the simple gable roof forms of both properties. Number 33 retains a pair of typical corniced rendered chimneys, while number 31 appears to have lost one of its matching chimneys.
At both properties access is provided via gates set in the front fences located directly opposite the front doors. Number 31 has a tessellated tiled footpath leading through the front garden to its front verandah, which is level with the path and floored with matching tessellated tiles. Number 33 has a truncated asphalt paved footpath and very slight step up to the verandah. The verandah floor of number 33 retains tessellated tiles consistent with number 31 and the verandah is bordered with a dressed basalt edge. Both front verandahs are sheltered by a skillion formed awnings, which are clad in corrugated iron sheeting of gently convex profile and supported by slender cast iron Corinthian columns. There are cast iron friezes and brackets to the verandah roof of both properties of slightly differing styles and eras. Above this, an entablature of alternating circular and rectangular mouldings, punctuated by corbelled brackets runs beneath the parapets.
Both parapets feature a central pediment framed by engaged pilasters topped with small urns or finials. Classical sculptural faces feature on the parapets, apex of the pediment and at the side parapets of the verandah awnings. The respective north and south side elevations of the houses are simple face brick, with a band of cement render and two windows set in the Miller Street elevation. At the rear of number 33 in the western portion of the lot is a large modern double-storey carport that adjoins another outbuilding.
31-33 Flower Street, Essendon, is of high integrity with very few changes visible to original or early elements of the place. This pair of buildings retains its original building form, original roof form, parapets, wing walls, verandahs and fenestration.
The integrity of the building is enhanced by the high level of intactness of these main elements, which include chimneys, decorative elements to the parapet, verandah decoration, unpainted face brick walls, and window and door joinery.
The integrity of the place is slightly diminished by the rear extensions to both buildings, but these are modest in scale and size.
Heritage Study and Grading
Moonee Valley - Moonee Valley 2017 Heritage Study
Author: Context
Year: 2019
Grading:
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ESSENDON RAILWAY STATION COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H1562
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LOWTHER HALL ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOLVictorian Heritage Register H0146
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RESIDENCEVictorian Heritage Register H1160
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"1890"Yarra City
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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"1890"Yarra City
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'BRAESIDE'Boroondara City
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'ELAINE'Boroondara City
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