Greville Street Residential Precinct

What is significant?

The Greville Street Residential Precinct comprises a number of streetscapes of predominantly late-nineteenth century dwellings. A range of single-storey Victorian and Edwardian middle-class dwellings and shops survive from this period as do contemporary two-storey terraces and a hotel. Together they form a valued environment of high local significance. The Prahran Railway Station, which stimulated development of the area and the College Lawn Hotel, constructed to service it, are both significant elements. A small number of, often more substantial, buildings were constructed in the early decades of the twentieth century. Some of these such as the former Villa Maria at 1-5 Donald Street and flats at No 1 and 38-40 Greville Street are buildings of some individual significance. Francis Xavier's church/school at 25 High Street and a Modern church on the same site are also significant building in their own rights. Other twentieth century developments, most notably, the commercial and manufacturing buildings near the intersection of Charles and Greville Streets are of lower significance.

Elements which contribute to the significance of the precinct include:

The high degree of intactness of the area to its c1930 state arising from the low proportion of later infill;

The intactness of individual buildings to their original states. Dwellings typically survive with their presentation to the street largely unaltered, retaining facades, verandahs and decorative detailing intact. There are few visible upper level additions within the precinct;

The consistent, single-storey height and modest scale of the residential built form particularly in Donald Street and western sections of Greville Street, largely derived from the prevalence of the freestanding villas, semi-detached pairs and terrace rows in garden settings.

The consistent face brick, timber or render materiality and roofscapes with chimneys and pitched roofs in slate or terracotta tiles or plain galvanised corrugated metal;

The landscaped character of the area arising from mature street plantings in conjunction with deep, landscaped front setbacks - particularly in Donald Street and Greville Street to the west of the hotel - and generous side setbacks to individual properties;

Low and/or permeable front fences in most sections of the precinct;

Road alignments and allotment patterns resulting from nineteenth century subdivisions;

The general absence of vehicle accommodation in front setbacks;

Notable twentieth century buildings such as the former villa Maria at 1-5 Donald Street, The church group at 25 High Street, interwar flats at No 1 and 38-40 Greville Street and the western buildings of the Prahran Railway Station are atypical elements within this precinct but remain significant buildings in their own rights.

Consistent and ongoing single household residential use.

The Greville Street Residential Area is of local historical and aesthetic significance.

The precinct is of aesthetic significance for the quality of its varied late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century built form and its intactness, integrity and legibility to its c1930 state. The greater part of the building stock shares a Victorian architectural expression. Polite Victorian villas with generous front gardens to wide streets reflect the middle-class aspirations of the area's first residents although more substantial Victorian developments, such as terrace rows and the hotel, also contribute to the character and significance of the area. Edwardian residential buildings typically extend and enhance this character and significance. As noted above, some larger, twentieth century buildings have been realised to a high design standard and contribute to the architectural quality of the area. The aesthetic significance of the Greville Street Residential Precinct is elevated by public and private landscaping.

The Greville Street Residential Precinct is of historical significance for the manner in which it illustrates the early development of the Municipality. Greville and Donald Streets date from the earliest phases of local development (3.3.1 Crown Land Sales 1840-1850). Built form in Donald Street typically predates the land boom of the 1880s (3.3.3 Speculation and land boomers) although the precinct did not reach its mature state until some decades later. Broader development, stimulated by the construction of the railway (4.4.1 Early private railways, 4.4.2 Developing state railway systems) established the boom period environment which largely survives today. Development halted for almost two decades during the recession of the 1890s. resurgent Edwardian built form alongside boom period designs, with no built form to explain the transition between the two illustrates this hiatus (3.3.4. Infill development). Some individually significant interwar and later buildings illustrate the twentieth century development of the area.

The precinct is of social significance for the extent to which it illustrates the introduction of new subdivisional typologies which added to the range of choices for family living. The development of suburbs around transport nodes (8.2.1 Middle-class suburbs and the suburban ideal) fundamentally altered living and working patterns. The Prahran Railway Station, local shops (few are extant) and the College Lawn Hotel were essential to this new form of habitation.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residential Precinct