The property at 17 Stephens Road, Healesville, is a long rectilinear

allotment on the west side of Stephens Road. The house has a deep

setback to the road, and is located in a treed setting. It is a large

double-fronted single-storey weatherboard residence of c.1909, on a

rectilinear plan, with a steeply pitched Dutch gable roof clad in

green 'colorbond' roofing metal. A single tall red brick chimney with

stepped brick cap is on the north roof plane. The house has a front

verandah located under the main roof form, simply detailed with

painted timber posts and crossed brackets. This adjoins a bay with a

timber-framed double-hung sash window with narrow sidelights, over

which is a timber fretwork and corrugated metal-clad window hood. The

front door is a painted timber four-panelled door with a timber

doorcase fitted with a toplight and side lights. A double-hung sash

window with sidelights also faces onto the verandah. The property also

has a landscaped cottage garden setting to the front, with a

non-original timber picket fence and lych-gate set behind the central

pedestrian gate and brick pathway to the front verandah. The

outbuildings to the rear of the house, including the garage, have not

been examined in detail.

The property Hiawatha at 17 Stephens Road, Healesville, is

of local historical and aesthetic/architectural significance.

Hiawatha is of local historical significance, as a

substantial (former) guesthouse constructed in c.1909 by Florence

Mabel Wood, who operated the guesthouse until her death in c.1932. Its

construction coincided with the growth of guesthouse culture in

Healesville, leading up to the peak in popularity in the post-World

War I period. Wood also continued to operate the business into the era

of guesthouse decline, in the face of more widespread car ownership

and mobility, and the rising popularity of seaside holidays and

motel-style accommodation. The property is located in an area of

Healesville which was historically referred to as 'Blannin Hill', or

more locally as 'The Major's Hill', after Major Alfred Blannin, the

first President of the Shire of Healesville. Hiawatha is also

of local aesthetic/architectural significance. While it is a

comparatively plain Federation house, it is distinguished by its

generous proportions and steeply pitched Dutch gable roof. Other

elements of note include the slender chimney, simply detailed timber

verandah, and windows with sidelights. The relative simplicity of its

plan and massing, including the verandah being 'hollowed out' from the

large square footprint, anticipates the simpler square house plans of

the bungalow era; in fact the simplified massing seen here emerged as

a dominant style in the years following the construction of this building.

Integrity: The property at 17 Stephens Road, Healesville, is a long rectilinear allotment, located on the west side of Stephens Road. The house has a deep setback to the road, and is located in a treed setting. It is a large double-fronted single-storey weatherboard residence of c.1909, on a rectilinear plan, with a steeply pitched Dutch gable roof clad in green 'colorbond' roofing metal. A single tall red brick chimney with a stepped brick cap is located on the north roof plane. The house has a front verandah located under the main roof form, simply detailed with painted timber posts and crossed brackets, partly screened by a vine. This adjoins a bay which incorporates a timber-framed double-hung sash window with narrow sidelights, part-screened by a timber fretwork and corrugated metal-clad window hood. The front door appears to be an original painted timber four-panelled door inset into a timber doorcase fitted with a toplight and side lights. A double-hung sash window with sidelights also faces onto the verandah. There are a number of outbuildings visible to the rear of the house, including a timber barn-like garage to the south side of the property, with timber detailing which draws reference from the verandah detailing. The structure is roofed in the same material and colour as the residence, and is accessed via a driveway on the south side of the property. The property also has a landscaped cottage garden setting to the front, with a timber picket fence and lych-gate set behind the central pedestrian gate and brick pathway to the front verandah.