Methodist Church, former
75A Bayview Road, Yarraville VIC 3013 - Property No 4009008600
Seddon Residential and Commercial Area
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Statement of Significance
The Methodist Church complex in Bayview Road, Yarraville is significant to the City of Maribyrnong because:
- architecturally, with its distinctive plan form, high external integrity and stripped Modern Gothic design, the 1930 church is the most successful of the inter-war church building designs in the City, in terms of its style (Criterion F1);
- the 1930 church contains well executed coloured glasswork (Criterion F1);
- the construction of the 1930 church is associated with a major figure in the Footscray scene during the Great Depression, Frank Pinchen, and its construction no doubt provided work for the numerous unemployed in the city at the time (Criterion H1, A4);
- the design of the 1930 church is associated with the well known architect Alec Eggleston (Criterion H1);
- it is a long-term public gathering place in the City which has retained its external integrity to a long period of use as well as having prominence in the surrounding residential streetscape (Criterion G1);
- the parish centre is an architecturally successful design, being a visually related but also visually separate addition to the church by the award winning architect, Phillip Harmer (Criterion F1); and
- the church hall is also a distinctive Modernist building within the City from the immediate post World War Two era (Criterion F1).
Australian Heritage Commission (AHC) criteria
The Australian Heritage Commission criteria consist of a set of eight criteria which cover social, aesthetic, scientific, and historic values. Each criterion has sub-criteria written specifically for cultural or natural values. The relevant criteria are:
F.1 design or technological achievement .
G.1 social importance to the community
H.1 association with important person or group
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Methodist Church, former - Physical Description 1
This is a Modern Gothic red brick church, with a compact and unusual floor plan, set on a corner. The two street elevations have gabled parapeted walls, faced with a sand-finish redder ruled into tile-like squares (in the Italian manner) and set between coupled corner brick piers. Each gable wall has a circular ornamental window (an oculus), centrally placed, and two pointed arch window opening with cement label moulds over. The main church windows have detailed coloured glass, in traditional leaded designs, but these have been covered by protective clear plastic sheet which have become opaque over time. A band of render links the sill of each main window pair. The roof is clad with variegated Marseilles pattern terra-cotta tiles typical of the era. At the intersection of the main roof forms is a tapered bell tower and spire, with a sheet-metal roof and louvred base. Splayed entry porches are located at the three main corners of the church, each with vertical boarded doors and glazed top-lights.
There is a distinctive Modernist concrete masonry clad 1950s hall at the rear (east), with an unusual combined bowed and skillion roof forms. There is also a circular red brick parish centre from the 1990s to the south, linked to the church by a glazed corridor. This design illustrates the contextual design theories of that era with care taken to relate to the existing church by use of similar wall materials, a pitched roof and solid geometric plan form, but kept virtually separated by the use of the glazed link. Some of the coloured glasswork from the 1930 church appears to be mounted in this link.
Methodist Church, former - Integrity
Externally, substantially intact/some intrusions.
Heritage Study and Grading
Maribyrnong - Maribyrnong Heritage Review
Author: Jill Barnard, Graeme Butler, Francine Gilfedder & Gary Vines
Year: 2000
Grading:
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SUN THEATREVictorian Heritage Register H0679
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STATE SAVINGS BANKVictorian Heritage Register H0723
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INTERLOCKING RAILWAY CROSSING GATESVictorian Heritage Register H1028
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