Dwelling

History/Notes
The land at 21 Upper Skene Street was offered for sale as lot 5 of the McQueen Estate in 1928. It remained undeveloped for many years until 1941 when it was sold to Harry Denno, builder in 1941. He built this house as his family home at that time. He was married to Matilda Adelaide Jakobi.

John Henry Godfrey (Harry) Denno was born in Geelong in 1892, the son of Henry and Mary Ann (nee Payne) Denno.
He followed brother, Michael James Denno into the building business, constructing homes in Geelong throughout the early 20th century. In particular, Harry Denno built several homes in Upper Skene Street in the 1920s. Denno maintained ownership and occupied the property at 21 Upper Skene Street until his death in 1972. At this time the property was valued at $9,300 and the house was described as 'a five-roomed Weather-board dwelling.'

Although the late interwar Bungalow main hipped and minor hipped roofs and front windows remain intact, the original central flat-roofed porch has recently been replaced with the existing post-supported verandah. At the front is an introduced capped timber picket fence and gates.

References:
Victorian Births, Deaths & Marriages Indexes, Dept. of Justice.
Newtown Rate Books, 1934-1950, Geelong Library & Heritage Centre.
Geelong Advertiser, 2 July 1924.
H. Denno, Probate Administration files, 1972, VPRS 28/P6 Unit 130 PROV.
McQueen Estate subdivision plan, 14 April 1928, collection, Alfred Deakin Library, Deakin University, SAMSS 333.337099452 Gre/Pos.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House