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Sydney Road (Brunswick)
Sydney Road,Brunswick, Moreland City
Sydney Road (Brunswick)
Sydney Road,Brunswick, Moreland City
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![Sydney Rd looking South.jpg Sydney Rd looking South.jpg](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/152/469.jpg)
Sydney Rd looking South.jpg
![Sydney Rd looking South.jpg Sydney Rd looking South.jpg](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/152/469.jpg)
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Sydney Road Brunswick Precinct, comprising buildings at 272-288 and 251-281 Albert Street, 194-194A Albion Street, 1-7 Ballarat Street, 276-276A & 293-295 Barkly Street, 16-22 Black Street, 1-5 Curtis Place, 1-67 David Street, 1-3 & 10-16 Dawson Street, 1-11B & 4-10 Edward Street, 1, 3-5, 15-17, 23-27 & 29 Frith Street, 2-6 & 8-10 Glenlyon Road, 1-4/16 Gullidge Lane, 1-2 Hope Street, 1-4/1A Little Gold Street, 7 McDougall Street, 1A-17 & 2-4 Merri Street, 1A-1D & 2A Michael Street, 2, 4, 1-2/8, 1-12/22 & 70 Saxon Street, 1-7, 2-8 & 1/10 Sparta Place, 2A-2E Staley Street, 1-1A Stewart Street, 1-697 & 2-702A Sydney Road, 1-2 & 22-24 Tripovich Street, 1 Union Street, 292-334 & 275-291 Victoria Street, 2A Weston Street, 1 & 2-12 Wilkinson Street and 1 William Street, is significant. Buildings and features that contribute to the significance of the precinct include:
- the late 19th and early 20th century retail and commercial strip with largely intact upper floor facades
- the institutional buildings in the late 19th and early 20th century, including the Town Hall and Municipal Offices, the Brunswick Baths and numerous churches of the major 19th century denominations along both sides of the road
- concentration of religious and community focused places in the area, established during the late 19th century
- the diversity of new restaurants and food outlets which developed along Sydney Road serving the southern European and Middle Eastern migrant communities who settled in Melbourne's northern suburbs following the Second World War
- historical public realm elements including bluestone kerbs and gutters, bluestone-pitched crossings, crossovers and central drains, as well as street furniture retained including an early lamp standard, early signs, monuments and drinking fountains.
Significant properties include:
- Brunswick Baths at 16 Dawson Street (HO61)
- Former Lyric Theatre at 199-201 Sydney Road (HO151)
- Mechanics’ Institute at 270 Sydney Road (HO154)
- St Ambrose’s School & Hall at 1-3 Dawson Street (HO155)
- Cumberland Arms Hotel at 337-341 Sydney Road (HO156)
- Former Union Bank of Australia at 387-389 Sydney Road (HO158)
- Duke of Edinburgh Hotel at 430 Sydney Road (HO160)
- Baptist Church at 491 Sydney Road (HO162)
- Former Dental Surgery and Residence at 503 Sydney Road (HO163)
- Independent Church at 523-527 Sydney Road (HO167)
- St Ambrose’s Church at 289 Sydney Road (HO248) & House at 33 Saxon Street (HO142)
- Telephone Exchange at 3-5 Frith Street (HO299)
Non-contributory properties include:
- Albert Street: 272-276 and 278-282.
- Albion Street: 194 – 194A
- Barkly Street: 267-276A
- Black Street: 6 & 22
- Breese Street: 20
- Curtis Place: 1 & 5
- David Street: 1, 17-21, 23, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61-67.
- Edward Street: 4, 4A, 6, 6A, 8, 8A and 10.
- Frith Street: 1, 15-17, 23-27 and 29-31.
- Gullidge: 16
- Hope Street: 1 – 1C
- Little Gold Street: 1-4/1A
- Merri Street: 3-17.
- Michael Street: 1A-1C
- Saxon Street: 6, 8 & 22
- Sparta Place: 1-7
- Staley Street: 2A, 2B and 2C
- Sydney Road (west): 17, 47 (rear section), 49-53, 65-79, 81-83, 87, 101-101B, 105 -113, 107, 109, 163, 169, 171, 175, 177-179, 209-209A, 259-259A, 329-331, 343-345, 356-360, 369A-371, 409-411, 413-419, 429-433, 435, 435A, 451-457, 485, 487,489, 529-531, 574, 597-605, 633, 635-639, 643, 655-661, 663, 671-673 and 675.
- Sydney Road (east) 2, 4, 6, 20, 30-32, 56, 74-78, 112-118, 120-124, 156-160, 194-198, 200-204, 242-242A, 260, 286-298, 300-304A, 306, 308-310, 320-338, 356-360, 362-366, 392-396, 416-418, 520-522, 536-542, 568-572, 574, 584, 586-588, 590, 602-604, 606, 614-624, 630, 640-642A, 648-658, 672-676, 682-688 and 690.
- Victoria Street: 275, 283, 287-291, 292-302, 316-316A, 320-322, 326-326A and 334.
- Wilkinson Street: 1 and 2-12.
- William Street: 1
How is it significant?
The Sydney Road Brunswick Precinct is of local historical, representative and social significance to the City of Merri-bek.
Why is it significant?
The Sydney Road Precinct is of local historical significance as a predominantly intact late 19th and early 20th century retail and commercial strip, which includes a large number of the important institutional buildings added during this period, including the Town Hall and Municipal Offices, the Brunswick Baths and numerous churches of the major 19th century denominations along both sides of the road. The precinct, which encompasses nearly half the length of Sydney Road, Brunswick reflects the considerable expansion and growth of the street, and the suburb as a whole, during the 19th century Boom period. (Criterion A)
The Sydney Road Precinct is of local architectural significance as a predominantly intact example of a late 19th and early 20th century retail strip that contains some of the key institutional buildings of the period. The capacity of the precinct to represent this period of development is enhanced by the largely intact upper floor facades of the shops. (Criterion D)
The Sydney Road Precinct is of local social significance as an important retail, commercial, religious and community focused area during the late 19th century and for the southern European and Middle Eastern migrant communities who settled in Melbourne's northern suburbs following the Second World War. These latter communities created new eating habits and styles through the diversity of new restaurants and food outlets which developed along Sydney Road to serve them. (Criterion G)
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Sydney Road (Brunswick) - Physical Description 1
Physical Description
Address:- 272-288 & 251-281 Albert Street
- 194-194A Albion Street
- 1-7 Ballarat Street
- 276-276A & 293-295 Barkly Street
- 16-22 Black Street
- 1-5 Curtis Place
- 1-67 David Street
- 1-3 & 10-16 Dawson Street
- 1-11B & 4-10 Edward Street
- 1, 3-5, 15-17, 23-27 & 29-31 Frith Street
- 2-6 & 8-10 Glenlyon Road
- 1-4/16 Gullidge Lane
- 1-2 Hope Street
- 1-4/1A Little Gold Street
- 7 McDougall Street
- 1A-17 & 2-4 Merri Street
- 1A-1D & 2A Michael Street
- 2, 4, 1-2/8, 1-12/22 & 70 Saxon Street
- 1-7, 2-8 & 1/10 Sparta Place
- 2A-2E Staley Street, 1-1A Stewart Street
- 1-697 & 2-702A Sydney Road
- 1-2 & 22-24 Tripovich Street
- 1 Union Street
- 292-334 & 275-291 Victoria Street
- 2A Weston Street
- 1 & 2-12 Wilkinson Street
- 1 William Street
The Sydney Road Precinct extends from Park Street to Albion Street. The Precinct comprises a mix of building types, but Victorian and Edwardian shops form the bulk of the building stock. The Precinct contains many buildings of individual significance. Of note are the Town Hall and Municipal Offices (1876 onwards; No. 233), the Brunswick Baths (1913 onwards; No. 10 Dawson Street), the Mechanics' Institute (1868-70; No. 270) and the church complexes: former Presbyterian Churches (1865, 1884; No. 212), St Ambrose's Roman Catholic (1871 and 1916; No. 289, and 1-3 Dawson Street), Christ Church (1857-75; No. 10 Glenlyon Road), Wesleyan (1872 onwards; No. 342) and Baptist (c.1889; No. 491). There are also several hotels including the Duke of Edinburgh (c.1890s; No. 430) and the Cumberland Arms (c.1890s; No. 337-341), plus the former Brunswick Market (1930 - 1-9 Ballarat Street). Also within the Precinct are the Hooper's Store (1908; No. 463-475) and the former Lyric Theatre (1911; No. 199-207).
The majority of the retail and commercial stock dates from the 1880s to the 1910s. There are several good examples of elaborate 1880s boom style commercial architecture: the former Union Bank at No. 387-389 is one of the best examples; Hooper's Store is a later example. The majority of the shops in Sydney Road retain intact upper level facades, although nearly all have been substantially altered at street level with most of the original verandahs replaced with cantilevered awnings.
The social character of the Precinct is now informed to a great extent by the large number of Middle Eastern migrants who operate businesses along Sydney Road. As a consequence, there is often an interesting juxtaposition of the 19th century first floor facades and the ground floor businesses, with shop signs in Arabic and Turkish.
There is virtually no street planting in the Precinct. Traditional street elements retained include dressed bluestone kerbing with bluestone pitched gutters, bluestone-pitched crossing, bluestone paving and/or asphalt paving in streets and laneways within the precinct. Various traditional bluestone elements are extant in sections of Sydney Road as well as in multiple intersecting streets and rear laneways throughout the precinct, including Ballarat Street, Merri Street, Saxon Street, Stewart Street, Victoria Street, Staley Street, Phoenix Street, David Street, Dawson Street, Glenlyon Road, Albert Street, McDougall Street, Black Street, Wilkinson Street, De Carle Lane, Curtis Place, and Little Breese Streets. Street furniture retained includes an early lamp standard, early signs, monuments and drinking fountains.
The following buildings have individual datasheets in the Moreland Heritage Review: Building Citations (1998) and included in their own individual heritage overlay:- Former Lyric Theatre, 199-207 Sydney Road (1911) - HO151
- St Ambrose's Church (1871) and School (1916) Complex, 289 Sydney Road and 1-3 Dawson Street - HO248 & HO153
- Brunswick Town Hall and Municipal Offices, 233 Sydney Road (1876 onwards) - HO155
- Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Road (1868-70) - HO154
- Cumberland Arms Hotel, 337-341 Sydney Road (c.1890s) - HO156
- Sydney Road Community School (Former Wesleyan Church and School), 342 Sydney Road (1872 onwards) - HO157
- Former Union Bank, 387-389 Sydney Road (1890) - HO158
- Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, 430 Sydney Road (c.1890s) - HO160
- Brunswick Baptist Church, 491 Sydney Road (c.1889) - HO162
- Hooper's Store, 463-475 Sydney Road (1908) - HO161
- Former Dental Surgery and Residence, 503 Sydney Road (1905) - HO163
- Former Independent Church, 523-527 Sydney Road (c.1869) - HO167
- Don Bosco Youth Centre, 715-719 Sydney Road (1945) - HO170
- Brunswick Tram Depot, 807-813 Sydney Road (1935) - HO171
- Former Presbyterian Churches, 212 Sydney Road (1865, 1884) - HO152
- Christ Church, 10 Glenlyon Road (1857-75) - HO83
- Brunswick Baths, 10 Dawson Street (1913-14, 1928) - HO61
- Brunswick Market, 1-9 Ballarat Street (1930) - HO12
The following place has an individual datasheet prepared:- 3-5 Frith Street - Telephone Exchange - HO299
Heritage Study and Grading
Moreland - City of Moreland Heritage Review
Author: Allen Lovell and Associates
Year: 1999
Grading:
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BRUNSWICK FIRE STATION AND FLATSVictorian Heritage Register H0916
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FORMER MELVILLES GRAIN STOREVictorian Heritage Register H0705
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FORMER HOFFMAN BRICKWORKSVictorian Heritage Register H0703
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