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241 Union Road

Location 241 Union Road SURREY HILLS, BOROONDARA CITY Level Incl in HO area non-contributory

Statement of Significance

HO534 Union Road Residential Precinct, Surrey Hills What is Significant?Union Road Residential Precinct in Surrey Hills is bounded by WhitehorseRoad to the north and Guildford Road and Montrose Street to the south.Properties in the precinct occupy both sides of the road, which gentlyslopes upwards from the south to the north. Dwellings of heritage valuepredominantly fall into two distinct phases of development, theFederation period of nominally 1910-1915; and the interwar period of the1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. There are also some houses of the late1880s and early 1890s, reflecting earlier subdivisions, including thestimulus provided by the railway's arrival at Surrey Hills in 1882.Within the precinct, brick dwellings are most common, althoughweatherboard houses of the Federation and interwar periods are alsofound. There are also a number of substantial brick residences, ongenerous allotments, which reflect a common pattern (in Boroondara) ofconstructing large dwellings on main or principal roads. Both sides ofUnion Road were virtually fully developed by the advent of World WarTwo, with little subsequent development until the later twentiethcentury when infill dwellings replaced some of the earlier buildings.The precinct comprises a high number of properties which have are graded'contributory', with relatively few graded 'significant'. How is itSignificant? Union Road Residential Precinct is of historical andaesthetic/architectural significance to the City of Boroondara. Why isit Significant? Union Road Residential Precinct is of local historicalsignificance, as a long-standing residential area concentrated in UnionRoad, which demonstrates aspects of the growth and consolidation ofSurrey Hills from the latter decades of the nineteenth century throughto the interwar period. Development generally commenced in the 1880safter the extension of the railway line to Lilydale and the constructionof the railway station in 1882. However, as with other areas of SurreyHills, development was stymied by the 1890s economic Depression, andthen picked up again after the extension of the Whitehorse Road tramwayin 1916. Following another halt during World War I, developmentintensified and consolidated in the interwar period. Although not alarge precinct, Union Road is also significant for reflecting the rangeof development which could occur on principal or main roads in what was,historically, an outer urban area. This includes a piecemeal pattern ofdevelopment on earlier large allotments, which were later re-subdividedfor more intensive urban development; the survival of earlier land usesuntil the interwar period, such as the market garden and dairy on thewest side of Union Road; the construction of larger dwellings, as ismore common on main roads; and the inclusion of buildings which were notstrictly residential, such as the doctor's surgery and residence at 174Union Road, the Anglican Church property at 175-177 Union Road, and theconvalescent home at 257-59 Union Road. Union Road Residential Precinctis also of local aesthetic/architectural significance. The precinct,which predominantly comprises dwellings from the Federation and interwarperiods, has a comparatively high level of intactness in terms of itshistorical development. Typical, and valued, Federation characteristicsof dwellings include external wall materials of weatherboard with eitherhalf-timbered and stucco panels, or continuously stuccoed gabling; thereturn verandah and corner entry 'diagonal' form; tall chimneys; andsome houses with short verandahs placed between projecting wings.Double-hung sash windows are common; there are also hinged casements,shallow box-frame and canted bay windows. Interwar development islargely concentrated on the west side of Union Road. Its principal, andvalued, characteristics include bungalows marked by breakfront wings orprojecting brick porches, with a low horizontal emphasis and hippedroofs. Several have a full-size gable, and porches integrated withrooms. Other characteristics include stucco-covered brick walling, astuccoed frieze to the upper face-brick walls, and extensive red orclinker face-brick walling. Transverse-roof bungalows, with accentuatedhorizontal forms, are also found. Later interwar houses in the precinctgenerally avoid gables, replacing these with hipped breakfronts; thelater dwellings are also marked by the use of clinker or cream brick,relieving tapestry brick, and again an emphatic horizontal emphasis.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House