Residence

The property at 1-5 The Avenue has significance as a substantially intact interwar eclectic Georgian Revival styled house constructed of timber weatherboards with a terra cotta tile roof. The grand scale of the building, together with its eclectic Georgian Revival design with overtones of Mission and American Colonial Revival influences, and the surrounding garden with rock walls and mature plantings, is a legacy of the affluent lifestyle of the original owner, Miss (Margaret) Gladys Bell. Built in c.1933-34, it largely replaced a smaller Late Victorian/Edwardian styled single storey house that had been constructed for the former owner, Thomas Hawkes of Hawkes Bros. merchants, Geelong, in c.1894-95. Set on an elevated and large site with commanding views to the Barwon River estuary and Barwon Heads, the substantial interwar house and its design represents an intact and rare example of an upper-middle class property in regional Victoria of the 1930s. Furthermore, it represents one of the largest private homes in Ocean Grove of the interwar period.

The house at 1-5 The Avenue is architecturally significant at a REGIONAL level (AHC Criteria D.2, E.1). It demonstrates original design qualities of an intact interwar eclectic Georgian Revival style. These qualities include the two storey hipped roof forms, together with part of the rear single storey hipped wings. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the asymmetrical and picturesque composition, horizontal timber weatherboard wall cladding, terra cotta tile roof cladding, elongated and streamlined rendered brick chimneys, broad eaves with timber linings, timber framed double hung windows (both the small and large paned windows, and the slightly projecting boxed windows on the south facade of the southern single storey wing), vertical boarded timber shutters on the upper floor eastern windows, single storey hipped and gabled entrance porch supported by round and square Tuscan and Doric columns with a slightly projecting central gablet, decorative fretwork porch screens and purpose-built timber seating, square timber coffered porch ceiling, central timber framed entrance doorway and decorative sidelights, timber framed and glazed oval windows flanking the entrance, southern two storey verandah and balcony with square timber Tuscan pilasters forming three bays with multi-paned timber framed ground floor windows flanking a central timber and multi-paned double door opening, narrow sidelights between closely spaced pilasters at the corners, and the timber entablature adorned with a small dentillated band. Internally, the layout, timber detailing (roof, dados, fireplace surrounds, staircase, doors and architraves) contributes to the significance, of the place, as does the intact bathrooms with fittings and fixtures. The surrounding gardens, plantings and rock walls are other aesthetic characteristics that contribute to the significance of the place.

The house and site at 1-5 The Avenue are historically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC Criterion H.1). They are associated with the affluent and flamboyant lifestyle of the original owner, Miss (Margaret) Gladys Bell, who instigated construction in 1933-34 and named the property "Broome Cottage". Miss Bell belonged to the Bell and Russell families, graziers and pastoralists in the Leigh and Shelford areas. She donated generously to many community projects, including the Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club where she donated the first club boats named the "Gladys Bell" and the "Gladys Bell II". The original site is also historically significant for its associations with the original owner, Thomas Hawkes and family. With his brother Frederick, Thomas was owner of the well-established merchant business, Hawkes Bros. in Geelong. A well-known and prominent figure, Thomas Hawkes constructed a single storey house at 1-5 The Avenue in c.1894-95 (subsequently demolished). Named "Imbool", the property was the location for many Hawkes family picnics, and the tennis court (which no longer survives and the area has been subdivided) was frequently used by Jack Hawkes, Davis Cup tennis player between 1921 and 1925, as well as other national and international tennis players.

Overall, the property at 1-5 The Avenue is of REGIONAL significance.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residence