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Location31 GLENORA AVENUE, COBURG, MORELAND CITY LevelIncl in HO area contributory |
What is significant?
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. Then, from 1922, the
Commission appointed the State Savings Bank of Victoria to provide
homes on the same terms as the Commission and from then until at least
1940 all new War Service homes in Victoria were designed and built by
or on behalf of the SSBV. This serial listing comprises the houses designed and built by the
Commission at 42, 46, 48 & 50 Shamrock Street, Brunswick West and
17, 19, 25, 27, 29 & 31 Glenora Avenue, Coburg. The Commission
purchased the land in 1920 and the houses were constructed from 1920
to 1922. The houses are detached 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: 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 Brick 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 are among the first houses built
by the Commission in Melbourne. They are of particular significance as
representative examples of the standard designs used by the Commission
from 1919 to 1922 and demonstrate how the Commission designed and
built houses before responsibility was transferred to the State
Savings Bank of Victoria, which went on to the construct the majority
of the War Service Homes in Victoria. 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 with variations in
appearance to avoid repetition. Together with the timber homes
constructed by the Commission elsewhere in Moreland they demonstrate
the range of house types provided by the scheme. (Criteria A & D)
- Walls of face brick or
face brick and render
- Hip or gable clay/cement 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 or set within projecting bays with
shingled hoods.
- Shingled or timbered gable ends with louvered
vents.
- 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 or render
chimneys with terracotta pots
- Entry porches or verandahs set
under the main roof line with arched or square openings.
Residential buildings (private)
House