Local Government
Albany
Region
Great Southern
136 Brunswick Rd Albany
Albany
Great Southern
Constructed from 1850
Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
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Heritage List | Adopted | 14 Oct 2020 |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
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Category | Description | ||||
Local Heritage Survey | Adopted | 27 Oct 2020 | Considerable |
Considerable |
|
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 30 Jun 2001 | Category B |
Category B |
Parkville has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The place is one of a group of significant residences built during the Late Victorian/Federation period along this eastern end of Stirling Terrace/Brunswick Road, just outside of the Stirling Terrace Heritage Precinct, many of which were used as boarding and guest houses given their proximity to the town centre, railway station and harbour, and owing to Albany’s growing popularity as a summer holiday resort.
The place is associated with Samuel Mitchell, who was the lightkeeper for Point King lighthouse and who lived at Parkville and initially set it up as a boarding house.
The place is associated with Francis Bird, well-known and prominent WA architect, including serving as Chief Government Architect for WA, who then started his own private practice after moving to Albany where he lived with his family for many years at the Strawberry Hill Farm and designed many significant residential buildings.
The place reflects the typical dwelling of a rising middle class that emerged from the commercial and service industries that developed around the port of Albany in the latter part of the 19th century particularly when Albany was the main port for Western Australia.
Boarding/guest houses such as this were predominantly established and run by women making them an important and respectable avenue of work for local women at a time when other employment opportunities, especially for married women and even widows living in urban areas, were rare.
Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Substantial two storey residence with views across jetty and over town
• Prominent gabled wing with projecting bay at lower level on front elevation
• Verandah on front side, with timber posts and timber balustrading is original
• Smaller ornamental roof gable on side elevation
Some obvious modifications include:
• Additions at rear
• Side verandah added to protect exposed brickwork from weather
• Addition of gable on side elevation
• Enclosure of verandah at upper level with glass
• Front timber picket fence removed
Parkville was built in the Victorian period as a two-storey cottage originally expressing the Georgian style. (It was seen in a photo in 1863.) The house was thought to have been originally built for the residence of the Head Gaoler at the gaol, then situated over the road in Lawley Park. It was extended in the early 1890s for retired Point King lighthouse keeper, Samuel Mitchell, who intended to operate a guesthouse.
The architect for the alterations and extensions was well-known architect Francis Bird who served as Chief Government Architect for WA in 1883. By 1889, Bird and his family had settled in Albany and lived at/owned the historic Strawberry Hill Farm. In Albany, Bird worked as a private architect and also designed other significant residences in Albany including 23 Aberdeen Street (which became the Albany Club), 120 Brunswick Rd (Lawley House), 55 Burt Street (The Priory) and 64 Spencer Street. It was during this renovation that the Federation styled façade was added by Bird.
Since the 1890s and for the next 100 years it was used as some form of boarding or guesthouse and called Parkville. In the early 1900s Parkville was run by Mrs Mowforth, advertising five rooms with or without furniture, and in particular accommodation for married couples. In 1906 Mrs Mowforth sold the business and it was taken over by Miss Mitchell (1907-08) then Mrs J D Thomas (1908) then Mrs F E Wright (1909-10). In September 1912 Parkville was put on the market by Mrs Mitchell of Narpin Mt Barker. Mrs Currer then became proprietress.
By 1920 Mrs Bauditz became Parkerville’s well-known proprietress. Her husband Paul, carpenter and cabinet maker, advertised his services from Parkville. In April 1925, the auction of Mrs Bauditz’s famous boarding house establishment Parkville was advertised.
In 1925 it was taken up by Mrs Goddard. During the Great Depression years both the top and bottom verandah areas were enclosed for extra accommodation. At this time, it was a 14-bedroom establishment. In June 1934 Mrs Goddard relinquished the business and held an auction of furniture and effects.
During World War II Parkville was used as Rest and Recreation accommodation for visiting American submariners. After the war the house was converted to a girls’ hostel to lodge country girls who came to Albany for either school or work. The place now comprised sitting, dining, kitchen and eight rooms. In the 1940s, Mrs C C Palmer was running Parkville. In the 1950s it was being run by Mrs Dickenson who built on the laundry at the back.
It was later owned by David and Christine Duvall and was called the ‘Colonial Guest House’. It was purchased by the Malacari family in December 1994. The dwelling continued as a guesthouse until converted into a private residence for the Malacaris in 1998. Arthur and Heather Malacari spent much time and effort sensitively restoring the house including building the verandah and gable on the west side of the residence. In 2014 they added a separate garage to the south of the property.
Integrity: High/Moderate
Authenticity: Moderate
Good
Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
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Heritage Database | City of Albany | 1995 | |
L Johnson; "Town of Albany Heritage Survey". | 1994 | ||
C Day; "Oral history interview with Heather Malacari" | Heritage Today | 2000 | |
Heritage TODAY Site visit and Assessment | 1999 |
Individual Building or Group
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Original Use | RESIDENTIAL | Two storey residence |
Present Use | RESIDENTIAL | Two storey residence |
Style |
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Federation Filigree |
General | Specific |
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DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.