MERNDA

The Commonwealth Government created the War Service Homes Commission in 1919 to assist returned servicemen and their families to buy affordable houses by providing low interest loans to purchase homes built by or on behalf of the Commission, or existing houses. From 1919 to 1922 the Commission purchased large areas of land and built houses in advance of applications in a range of standard designs prepared by Commission's architect. However, due to mounting costs the Commission ceased building houses and from 1921 all new housing was built by others under contract issued after public tender.

The houses in this serial were all built from 1921 to 1924 by the Northern Timber Mills Pty Ltd and it appears about a third of the original houses were constructed under contract for the Commission. This serial listing comprises 2 & 5 Akeroa Avenue, 1 Pareora Avenue, 169, 183 & 230 Stewart Street, 1 Temuka Avenue and 1 & 5 Timaru Avenue. Of these, 169 & 183 Stewart Street and 1 Temuka Avenue were purchased with the assistance of the Commission.

All of the houses are detached timber bungalows in garden settings, modest in scale and character, built with similar materials and architectural elements displaying Arts & Crafts influences in a range of standard designs. Common design elements include:

- Walls of weatherboard.
- Gable clay tile roofs. The deep eaves have visible rafters and are often supported by timber brackets.
- Timber double hung sash windows with multi-paned uppers, in singles or pairs. Feature leadlight windows to entry halls.
- Use of timber shingles as a decorative feature, as an embellishment to gable ends and under eaves.
- Tiled hoods supported on timber brackets above front windows. In some designs, this is continuous across the facade creating a 'floating' gable above.
- Plain brick chimneys, some with terracotta pots.
- Entry via front verandahs set under the main roof line or gabled porches, or an inset porch located at the side. The verandahs or gabled porches are supported by single or paired timber posts, brick piers (169 Stewart Street) or fluted cement columns on brick piers (5 Timaru Avenue), while the inset porches have a latticed post on a brick pier.

Non-original alterations or additions to the houses and other buildings on the properties, and all fences are not significant.

How is it significant?

The War Service Homes Timber Houses are of local historic and aesthetic significance to Moreland City.

Why is it significant?

The houses demonstrate the important Commonwealth repatriation initiative to provide affordable housing for returned servicemen and their families after World War I and associated with the change to the scheme from 1921 when the War Service Homes Commission stopped building houses and instead had homes built under contract. Collectively, the houses demonstrate the approach of using standard designs to ensure the houses could be built economically and efficiently and to achieve visual cohesion when built as a group, but varied in appearance to avoid repetition. Together with the brick homes constructed by the Commission elsewhere in Moreland the houses demonstrate the range of house types provided by the scheme. (Criteria A & D)

The houses are aesthetically significant for the simple designs that feature the restrained use of Arts & Crafts materials and details to provide variety and visual interest. These include the deep eaves and window hoods with visible rafters supported by timber brackets, and consistent and varied use of timber shingles as a decorative feature. (Criterion E)

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House