Residence, 3 Emo Road, Malvern East

What is significant?

The Caulfield Junction Estate Precinct is a small residential area located at the southern end of Emo Road in Malvern East. The area was initially subdivided at the height of the land boom in 1888 and, by the early 1890s, a row of six timber villas had been built on the west side of Emo Road.

Elements which contribute to the significance of the precinct include:

- high degree of intactness to its c.1890 period of development with no modern infill buildings;
- built form illustrating the initial development of the area during the boom of the 1880s;
- the subtle variety in character and expression of the housing stock within a consistent late-nineteenth century villa form;
- intactness of individual buildings to their original states. Dwellings typically survive with their presentation to the street largely unaltered retaining verandahs and decorative cast iron or timber detailing;
- the consistent single-storey height and modest scale of the built form;
- the uniform pattern of modest front and side setbacks;
- the consistent timber materiality of dwellings;
- gabled or hipped roofscapes with chimneys and slate tiles or plain galvanised corrugated metal cladding;
- the verdant landscaped character of the precinct brought about through mature street trees and undeveloped front setbacks with low front fences; and,
- the almost total absence of driveway crossovers and vehicle accommodation in front or side setbacks.

How is it significant?

The Caulfield Junction Estate precinct is of local historical and aesthetic significance.

Why is it significant?

The Caulfield Junction Estate precinct is of historical significance as a very rare surviving example of Victorian suburban development in this part of the Municipality. The precinct illustrates how the initial process of subdivision in Malvern East during the 1880s land boom was stalled by the 1890s depression, leaving much of the area sparsely developed (Historic Theme: 8.2.2 'Country in the city' - suburban development in Malvern before 1920). The precinct is also noteworthy for the relatively high density achieved by its early housing development and the extent to which timber was used as a construction material. Subsequent regulations would prohibit development of this density and materiality in many parts of the former City of Malvern.

The Caulfield Junction Estate precinct is aesthetically significant as an attractive streetscape of closely built late-nineteenth dwellings. This sequence of Victorian villas is especially significant for its very high degree of intactness, consistent timber materiality and rich variety of applied ornament. Mature exotic street trees further enhance the historic character and amenity of the area.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Villa