Residence

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:

The house at 107 Swanston Street, Geelong, has significance has a reasonably intact example of the interwar Californian Bungalow style. Built in 1923 for Mrs E. Seward, the house appears to be in good-fair condition when viewed from the street.

The house at 107 Swanston Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original design qualities of an interwar Californian Bungalow style. These qualities include the gable roof form that traverses the site, together with the verandah gable that projects towards the street frontage. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the asymmetrical composition, single storey height, horizontal weatherboard wall cladding, corrugated profile to the roof cladding, brick chimney (now painted), wide eaves with exposed timber rafters, unusual paired timber framed double hung windows at the front surmounted by rectangular transom windows, other single timber framed double hung windows along the sides, timber framed doorway with sidelight under the verandah, squat and round concrete verandah columns, painted brick verandah piers with concrete cappings and unpainted rectangular motifs, painted brick verandah balustrade, roof ridge capping and finials and the gable infill (timberwork simulating shingling and the timber ventilators). The front timber flat-capped picket fence also contributes to the significance of the place.

The house at 107 Swanston Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with residential developments in Geelong during the interwar (1920s-1940s) period. In particular, this house has associations with Mrs E. Seward, original owner from 1923.

Overall, the house at 107 Swanston Street is of LOCAL significance.

REFERENCES:

Reports and Drainage Plans, Barwon Water profis system, 1923.
Voters' Roll, Barwon Ward, 1992, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Electoral Roll, Division Corio, Subdivision Geelong, 1984, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Sands & McDougall's Directory of Geelong, 1972, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Sands & McDougall's "Invicta" Geelong Directory,1968, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Geelong City Council Rate Books (Barwon Ward), 1920-1960, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Town Plan of Geelong 1881, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Land Title Search App 35560, Land Titles Office, Marland House, Bourke Street, Melbourne.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residence