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Former Werner House

Location 14 Glen Road,, TOORAK VIC 3142 - Property No B6432 File Number B6432 Level Demolished/Removed

[1/3] B6432 14 Glen Rd Toorak [2/3] B6432 14 Glen Rd Toorak [3/3] B6432 14 Glen Rd Toorak

Statement of Significance

Werner Housewas of State architectural significance as a fine and larely intact example of the Spanish Colonial Revival in Melbourne. Designed by Barlow & Hawkins in the mid 1920s along lines suggested by their clients, Mr & Mrs F Werner, after a visit to the west coast of the United States, the house is one of the most striking examples of the idiom in Melbourne. Of particular note in this context is the strongly textured stucco of the walls, unparalleled in Victoria, and the rich external ornament. The Baroque quality of the overall effect is clearly more to be associated with the contemporary Spanish Colonial Revival of Southern California and Florida than with the austere lines of Andalusion or even Spanish Mission work. The external significance of the building is greatly enhanced by the integrity of the interiors, which have remained virtually intact throughout the occupation of the original owners.
1925-1992.
The house at 14 Glen Road was one of the earlier, more competently styled and best publicised examples of the idiom in Victoria, and was also a relatively small villa at a time when the majority of houses in related idioms were much larger. The house has historical significance as an important precursor to the popularity of the Spanish idioms for the small detached villa in Melbourne, a popularity which in the latter years of the 1920s, toghether with eclectic revival styles was to see the dominance of the Californian Bungalow swept aside.
File Note. Demolished: 12/02/1993