313 -333 High Street
Location
313-333 High Street KEW, BOROONDARA CITY
Level
Incl in HO area contributory
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Kew Junction Commercial Heritage Precinct has a predominantly retail
and commercial built form character, with the majority of contributory
buildings, as well as some individually significant buildings within the
precinct boundaries dating from the Victorian and interwar eras, with
some more limited Federation and post-WWII development (up to the
1960s). The precinct includes several substantially contiguous building
groups along both the north and south sides of High Street, east of the
five ways junction; extends into Cotham Road from the junction with High
Street; and breaks up into smaller non-contiguous groups of heritage
buildings further east on High Street. The key focal point within the
precinct is the (former) public buildings group (post office [VHR 885;
HO68], police station and court house [VHR 994; HO69] and war memorial
[VHR2035; HO572]) on the landmark triangular site at the junction of
High Street and Cotham Road. The earliest businesses on High Street
were established in the 1850s, albeit no buildings appear to survive
from this period. As the number of businesses grew, they concentrated in
High Street to the east of the five ways road junction, up to the
intersection with Cotham Road; this area is now known as 'Kew Junction'.
Development in the later decades of the nineteenth century attracted
banks, hotels, a variety of merchants, horse-drawn transport services
and the Kew spur railway line. This burst in growth culminated in the
late 1880s in the construction of the outstanding complex of public
buildings (post office, court house and police station) on the prominent
and elevated triangular site at the junction of High Street and Cotham
Road. Development picked up again in the interwar period, including new
buildings constructed on the south side of High Street following the
road alignment of 1934. The road works were aimed at improving traffic
congestion, a constant problem at Kew Junction from the 1920s, and still
being addressed with road widening and realignment in the late 1950s
when the five ways junction was altered and opened up. Significant and
contributory buildings are principally two-storey terraces, with ground
floor shopfronts (many of which are not original); parapeted first
floors which display overall a high level of intactness; and zero
setbacks to the main street frontages. There are also some single storey
and larger commercial buildings, some of which have strong corner
presentations. The precinct is generally linear in nature with the
valued built form typically presenting as a 'wall' of building
frontages, and the majority of architectural detailing concentrated in
the visible streetscape facades.
How is it significant?
The Kew Junction Commercial Heritage Precinct is of historical, social
and architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
The Kew Junction Commercial Heritage Precinct is of local historical and
social significance. It has been a commercial centre and a civic and
social focus for residents of Kew since the mid-nineteenth century,
attracting many prominent public and commercial buildings as well as
numerous local businesses established and supported by the community
over many decades. The Precinct is also significant for demonstrating
several of the principal characteristics of historic retail
strips/shopping centres in inner and middle-ring suburbs of Melbourne.
These include the comparatively high level of intact and parapeted first
floor facades; the generally linear nature of the precinct whereby the
valued built form presents as a 'wall' of building frontages; and the
concentration of architectural detailing in the streetscape facades.
Architecturally, the Kew Junction Commercial Heritage Precinct is also
of local significance. It retains many comparatively intact buildings
constructed in the second half of the nineteenth century through to the
first half of the twentieth century, including through to the post-WWII
period (up to the 1960s), some of which are architecturally
distinguished. Architectural styles evident in the precinct include
Italianate and Renaissance Revival, Commercial Gothic, Queen Anne,
Baroque influenced buildings of the early twentieth century, and a rich
collection of interwar buildings displaying Art Deco characteristics.
The precinct also has a notable intact collection of interwar (1920s and
1930s) commercial and retail buildings.
Group
Commercial
Category
Shop
