Hillgrove

The house at 95 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, dates from c.1915 and is sited on a large allotment. The residence is a double-fronted weatherboard house, with a projecting gabled bay to the south end adjoining a bull nose verandah, which extends across the facade and returns along the north side. The roof is hipped and gabled; a gablet also projects north from the main body of the roof, above the return verandah. The verandah bull-nose roof and the roof proper are clad in aged red painted corrugated steel; a single tall brick chimney is located to the north side of the roof. The verandah is supported on painted timber stop-chamfered posts, with timber fretwork brackets, and has a simple painted timber rail, with the lower section infilled with crimped wire and towards the rear with vertical painted timber boarding. The front door has a painted timber four-panelled door inset in a timber doorcase with a toplight and side lights. Windows are double-hung timber sashes; a timber window hood fitted with aged painted corrugated iron is above the window to the gable bay. The verandah at its west end terminates in a small timber enclosure fitted with a louvre window and adjoins the rear of the house and outbuildings, part screened by trelliswork. The residence is slightly elevated on a plinth of timber boarding which increases in height with the slope of the allotment back to the west. It also has an established garden with a tall palm tree as a main feature, and a trimmed hedge and painted timber picket fence to the street boundary.

How is it significant?

The property at 95 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, is of local historical and aesthetic/architectural significance.

Why is it significant?

The property at 95 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, is of local historical significance. The dwelling was constructed in c.1915, on an allotment which was originally part of the large landholding purchased by James F Sullivan in 1865, and subdivided in 1889 as part of the Bona Vista Estate subdivision. The estate was promoted as having magnificent views and allotments nearly double the size of typical Healesville township allotments. The subject property's originally large allotment, which has been subdivided, was consistent with the original character of the subdivision. The property is also of local aesthetic/architectural significance, as a large and substantially intact weatherboard house of c.1915. The dwelling shares characteristics with other large weatherboard houses of this general period in Healesville, including the projecting gabled wing coupled to the return verandah, and the diagonal planning. However, distinguishing characteristics include the plainer treatment of the projecting gable, bull-nosed verandah and the double-hung timber sash windows. While these latter elements give the house a 1880s flavour, the 1915 date is not an anomaly as many houses of the later Federation period avoided overt Federation detailing in favour of some earlier plainer treatments. The gablet projecting north from the main body of the roof is also a distinguishing element. Secondary gables were sometimes found on the historic guesthouses of Healesville. In addition, the garden setting, including the prominent palm tree, enhances this aspect of significance.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House