Lauriston

The property at 91 Maroondah Highway occupies a large square allotment, with an established garden setting; the c.1921-22 dwelling is sited in the south-east corner. The house is a large single-storey double-fronted weatherboard building of late Federation style. It has a low pitched pyramidal roof with a projecting gable-ended bay to the south side, and a deep and wide verandah which returns from the east facade to the north elevation. The verandah roof is integrated with the main roof slope. The latter is clad in aged painted corrugated steel, with a prominent double brick chimney with a stepped brickwork cap on the north roof plane. The south gabled bay has a boxed bay window part-screened by a sun hood clad in shingles, partly tucked beneath the gable. It has a timber-framed tripartite casement window with coloured glass toplights. The gable face is also shingled, behind a painted timber screen. The windows to the front verandah are tripartite casement forms, and the windows opening onto the verandah to the north elevation are paired timber-framed double-hung sashes. The front door is a four-panelled painted timber door. The verandah has a simple frieze of timber slats intersticed with simple timber cutout panels, supported on painted timber posts with timber brackets, painted in a contrast colour; the balustrade is of vertical timber slats.

How is it significant?

The property at 91 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, is of local historical and aesthetic/architectural significance.

Why is it significant?

No 91 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, is of local historical significance. The dwelling was constructed in c.1921-22, on an allotment which was originally part of the large James F Sullivan's landholding of 1865, then subdivided in 1889 as part of the Bona Vista Estate subdivision. The estate was promoted as having magnificent views and allotments nearly double the size of typical Healesville township allotments. The subject property's unusually large allotment is consistent with this aspect of the original character of the subdivision. The property is also of local aesthetic/architectural significance. The dwelling is a substantially externally intact, late Federation weatherboard building, with a large spreading, low-pitched roof, and a deep return verandah with a comparatively simply detailed verandah frieze and balustrade. Elements of note include the diagonal planning, as emphasized by the return verandah; prominent double brick chimney with stepped brickwork cap; projecting south end bay incorporating a boxed bay with a tripartite casement window with coloured glass toplights and sunhood/awning over; and painted shingles to the gable face behind a painted timber screen. Elements in common with other houses of the general period in Healesville include the projecting gabled wing coupled to either a straight or return verandah (as here); the verandah roof integrated with the main roof form; and the straight-newel verandah railings and timber verandah posts.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House