The Esplanade Heritage Area

This area is dominated by large houses representing the first development of this area with many notable examples of the work of locally prominent architects during the early part of the 20th century. It is significant for its diversity of the late nineteenth and predominantly twentieth century architectural styles and buildings of consistently high quality reflecting the prosperity of the owners.

The area has a high retention of original housing stock, with excellent representative examples from the Edwardian and Bungalow periods with variations of styles. Typically, the houses are very substantial and include the following characteristics: single or predominant double storey buildings of either red brick, clinkers or render, tiled roofs and gabled roofs. Houses are located on sizeable but irregular allotments with generous proportions and street and boundary setbacks with substantial gardens in front. Fences are generally low and often match the detailing of the buildings. There are many consistent architectural elements including upper floor porches, dominant gable roof ends, attic spaces and the use of face red or clinker brick with render detailing.

A characteristic of the this area is the slight meandering of The Esplanade which echoes the natural curve of Corio Bay and is in contrast to the regular grid pattern of Drumcondra generally, with nearly all houses having considerable emphasis on their Bay orientation. Vehicle access to properties is via the rear lane with bluestone crossovers and drainage works.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residential Precinct