Terrace, part

History:

By 1885 David Spence owned the first vacant land from Heidelberg Road fronting Grant Street, west side. In 1886, Spence built 4 brick houses. In 1887, a brick house was completed adjacent to No. 53. Spence retained ownership of the properties at least until 1900.

Description:

The terrace at 47-55 Grant Street, comprises 5 single-storey brick houses. Each house has a skillion-roofed corrugated iron verandah, supported on timber posts, separated by brick wing walls. Then ends of the wing walls are decorated with corbelled vermiculated panels, and the ends of the party walls between the roofs have classical masks. Windows are tripartite double-hung sashes. The house at No. 55 has an unusual projecting section built to the street alignment, with an angled corner and a single semi-circular arched double-hung sash window. Roofs are hipped, with bracketed eaves. The chimneys are rendered, with moulded caps.

Most of the original cast iron work has been removed; original cast iron friezes survive at No. 48 and 49. Only Nos. 49 and 51 retain the original slate roofs; the remainder have been reclad in corrugated galvanised steel. All of the brickwork has been painted, and none of the original front fences survive. Some of the original windows have been replaced, and some of the chimneys have been removed.

Significance:

The terrace at Nos. 47-55 Grant Street, Clifton Hill, is of local architectural significance. The terrace is partly a typical 19th century boom period development, but with an unusual angled corner section built along the property line, and is a distinctive contributing heritage element in the streetscape although altered in detail.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Terrace