Toora

The Stanley Street precinct comprising the buildings built from 1889 to c.1960, at 9-29 and 26-68 Stanley Street, Toora is significant. Significant and Contributory buildings in the precinct include:

- Pre-World War II houses. These are single storey, detached, and of timber construction with hipped or gabled roofs and are grouped at the northern end. There are two late Victorian symmetrical timber cottages (17, 26) with M-hip roofs and separate verandahs. No.17 has a traditional bullnose verandah supported by chamfered posts with collars, a front door with toplight flanked by timber sash windows and a corbelled brick chimney. No.26, altered during the interwar period, has a recessed entry flanked by box bay casement window, and has a straight verandah with timber brackets supported by fluted square Tuscan columns set on masonry piers with a balustrade. The two interwar bungalows (9, 11) are asymmetrical in plan with no.9 having a hip roof that extends to form a verandah beside the projecting hipped bay, while no.11 has a transverse gable roof with a projecting gabled porch supported by Tuscan piers. These have boxed timber windows, and plain brick chimneys, and no.9 is complemented by an early rendered fence with decorative steel balustrade.

- Pre-World War II commercial buildings. These include variously gable fronted, hipped roof or parapeted shops with post-supported verandahs or cantilevered awnings. Some have attached hipped or gable roof residences at the side (e.g., 44, 53) or rear (e.g., 52) and several (e.g., 36, 38, 39, 44, 47, 49, 52, 53, 57, 64 & 65) retain original or early timber or metal framed shopfronts, some with recessed entries.

- The Post Office and Residence (13 & 15), constructed in 1914. The residence is a Federation house, asymmetrical in plan with a hipped roof that extends to form a deep verandah that returns between the projecting gables to the front and side. The verandah is supported by chamfered post with simple brackets. The adjoining brick post office has a transverse gable roof with a projecting gable that incorporate a porch within an extended roof plane on the north side, which has a rendered cornice above the opening. Walls are of red brick with a rendered frieze around the eaves and to the gable ends.

- The RSL hall (28), which is a gabled fronted building with cement sheet walls and a weatherboard dado.

- The former Dawson's Cash Store (25), constructed by William Dawson in 1911, which is a Federation era corner storey with an Art Nouveau style parapet, original timber shopfronts and panelled entry door, original skylights, and a deep post-supported street verandah with vertical board end infills.

- The former Whatley's Hardware (31), a post-war building with a zig-zag roof and original steel framed shopfronts with tiled surrounds.

- The former Union Bank (34), designed by W.R. Butler and constructed in 1907-08 is a two storey Federation Bank with Art Nouveau. It has a transverse parapet gable roof and the upper and lower floors are separated by a wide rendered spandrel below the upper windows. The facade is symmetrically arranged with segmentally arched pairs of double hung windows on either side of an arched recessed porch on the ground floor and three pairs of double hung windows in the upper. The eaves, with exposed rafter ends, are projected over a rendered frieze above the windows and continue across the parapet gable ends. The gable end parapets have a wide, slightly projecting chimney line at the ridge, which is carried down to the roof line. At the north side, there are two projecting box bay windows under tiled skillion hoods and an arched recessed entry porch to the residence.

- The former Bank of Victoria* (35), constructed in 1906, which is a Federation bank in the Classical style with a weatherboard parapet with a timber cornice and arched windows and doors.

- The former Blanton's Store (60), constructed by Rispin Bros. in 1906, which is a two storey brick shop and residence with a triangular pediment with an inset arch that is framed by pilasters with pointed tops and a cornice with pointed corbels.

- The Royal Standard Hotel, constructed in 1889, which is a two storey rendered brick hotel. The splayed corner has an arched pediment and there is a two-level street verandah with a timber balustrade. The interwar extension to the north facing Stanley Street has original shopfronts with brick stallboards, recessed entries and metal framed windows.

All buildings within the precinct are Contributory.

*The former Bank of Victoria is also of local significance and has an individual citation.

Non-original alterations and additions, other than those specified above, are not significant. Non-contributory properties include 21, 41-43, 45, 48, 50, 61 Stanley Street.

How is it significant?

The Stanley Street Residential precinct is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the South Gippsland Shire.

Why is it significant?

Historically, it is associated with the development of Toora into an important local commercial and community centre during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Royal Standard Hotel is significant as the first building constructed in Toora and the only surviving pre-1900 building in the street, while the expansion and redevelopment in the period after 1900 when the butter factory was established is demonstrated by buildings such as the former Bank of Victoria (1906), Blanton's Stores (1906), former Union Bank (1907-08), former Dawson's Cash Store (1911), post office and residence (1914) and other shops and commercial buildings, many of which replaced older timber buildings. The houses at the northern end of the street demonstrate the associated residential development during the same period. (Criterion A)

It is a representative example of a small rural town centre of the early twentieth century comprised of a commercial centre to the south of Gray Street and a predominantly residential section to the north. The mix of commercial and residential buildings with pockets of vacant land is characteristic of rural town centres and the significance of the precinct is enhanced by the legibility of the original phases of development. (Criterion D)

The Post Office and residence is a rare example of a Federation Post Office with detached residence. (Criterion B)

It has aesthetic significance as an early twentieth century rural town centre. The section to the north has a residential character with detached houses and buildings with pitched roofs, while the commercial centre beginning at Gray Street is an early twentieth century commercial precinct comprised of predominantly single storey masonry shops with simple stepped parapets, post supported verandahs, and punctuated by landmark two storey buildings including the former Union Bank, Blanton's Store and the Royal Standard Hotel. (Criterion E)

Of note within the precinct are:

- Toora Post Office and residence. This simply detailed post office is in the form of a gabled bungalow with distinctive details such as the multi-paned windows, and rendered architraves with a cornice and integrated sign panel 'Post Office' to the porch entry, and the residence is in a complementary style that enhances the residential character north of Gray Street.

The Gray Street intersection, which contains three contrasting, but equally distinctive buildings:

- Dawson's Cash Store (former), 35 Victoria Road. This prominent corner building is notable for the sinuous Art Nouveau style parapet.

- Union Bank (former). This landmark building is notable for its fine detailing including the ornate window architraves, egg and dart moulded surround with keystone to the entry arch, the recessed arched porch with basalt steps, a tessellated tile floor and side doors to the banking chamber and the gum leaf and nut render bass relief panel over the residential entry door at the side.

- Whatley's Hardware (former). This is notable as fine and intact example of Modernist postwar building with a distinctive zig-zag roof supported by an expressed steel frame. The significance is enhanced by the high degree of integrity, which includes original shopfronts.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residential Precinct