ROBB STREET

15-25 Robb Street, Essendon, a small residential area comprising a short row of Victorian-era detached terrace houses built in c1890 on Locke's Paddock Estate subdivision (1885), is significant.

The following features contribute to the significance of the precinct:

. The houses constructed c1890, as shown on the precinct map.

. The overall consistency of housing form (single-storey, detached terrace dwellings), materials and detailing (masonry walls, corrugated iron-clad roofs, brick chimneys with Italianate-style cement-rendered cornices), and siting (elevated siting, consistent front and side (south) setbacks).

. Streetscape materials such as bluestone kerb and channelling.

The houses at 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 25 Robb Street are Contributory.

Non-original alterations and additions to the Contributory buildings are not significant.

How is it significant?

15-25 Robb Street, Essendon, is of local historical, representative (architectural), and aesthetic significance to the City of Moonee Valley.

Why is it significant?

Historically, the Robb Street Precinct, Essendon, is significant as it demonstrates the former location and subdivision pattern of Locke's Paddock Essendon, established in 1885 and intensely developed until the economic depression of the 1890s halted development until the early twentieth-century. The construction of the subject residences in a single building campaign evidences the increased demand for housing in the area, facilitated as a result of the newly expanded railway, when a number of large estates were subdivided and developed in Essendon in the 1880s during Melbourne's land boom. (Criterion A)

The houses in the Robb Street Precinct, Essendon, are a relatively rare example of Victorian-era detached single-fronted houses in terrace form, most of which exhibit a high level of intactness. They demonstrate the principal characteristics of the Italianate style as applied to the terrace typology, including the narrow allotment width of each house, modest front setbacks and repetitive forms. Other typical details include high ornate parapets, intricate cast-iron detailing to the verandahs and chimneys with Italianate-style cement-rendered cornice. (Criterion D)

Aesthetically, the Robb Street precinct is significant thanks to its picturesque streetscape, afforded by the shared stylistic details, elevating siting and the consistency of the modest front and (south) side setbacks. The short row of free-standing Victorian-era detached terrace houses, erected in the Italianate style, presents a highly visually unified streetscape, distinguishing the Robb Street Precinct with a high level of visual cohesiveness. The high level of intact detailing across most of the dwellings, particularly to the high ornate parapets, cast-iron verandahs and door and window joinery, enhances the precinct's picturesque quality and overall visual unity. (Criterion E)

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House