Seppelts Building Facade

Statement of Significance

The place is of historic significance as an example of a commercial building in the Old Port City of Fremantle dating from the gold boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The façade is an important visual element in the Pakenham Street Streetscape.

Physical Description

Two level (half basement ground floor) rendered façade only intact, with a zero setback from the pavement. Façade features: balustraded parapet with a pediment, engaged pilasters, centre arched entrance and stucco arched architraves over the sash windows. There is a large face brick office complex behind, extending from nos. 5, 7 & 9 Pakenham Street.

History

Rates records indicate that Lot 99 was owned by Mr John Gallop in 1880. He was a fruiterer, who had a dwelling on the lot. Although it is not known when this was built, it could probably be either the original dwelling, with modifications, or perhaps a dwelling built in the 1860s-70s period. However, his status changed to that of clerk in 1887, and Gallop added a warehouse, indicated in the rates books in 1893, and was the owner until 1898. From 1897, Post Office Directories list Tolley & Co., Wine & Spirit, Shipping and General Merchants & Importers, who also occupied 1 Pakenham Street.
The building at No. 5 was a single storey one designed to accommodate numerous clerical staff, as well as having a sample room and store room, and below ground a cellar. At the rear of the building was the stables. Between 1901-06 another floor was added and extensions to the north were carried out by providing an enclosed laneway to the rear of the premises. This development is clearly illustrated in a 1905 photograph. The Tolley Company's head office remained at No. 5 Pakenham Street until 1911. In a photograph from this time, the view from the Town Hall sees the facades of Lots 99, 100 & 101 clearly rebuilt, with reasonably new cgi roofs.
In 1912, the site was bought by W.A. Trustee Executor and Agency Company Limited, to establish another Wine Company, Seppelts & Sons Ltd, who used the existing offices, warehouse and cellar. Seppelts used the building at ground floor level for office purposes only. The large storage space behind the back door dividing the first floor area in half, along with the warehouse section on the first floor and the basement, had not been used since Seppelts bought No. 7 Pakenham Street specifically for this purpose. This site was purchased by Interstruct in 1984 and there is a new development behind the façade of Nos. 5, 7 & 9 Pakenham St.
Currently (2002), only the façade of the building remains. It houses Centrelink & Offices.

Condition

Good.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

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