Brookman & Moir Streets Precinct

Author

City of Vincent

Place Number

03992

Location

Moir & Brookman Sts & Forbes Rd Perth

Location Details

2-32 Brookman St (even numbers) 3-27 Moir St (odd numbers) 40 Forbes Rd 2-28 Moir St (even numbers) 1-31 Brookman St (odd numbers)

Local Government

Vincent

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1897

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
Heritage List Adopted
State Register Registered 08 May 2007 HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Register of the National Estate Nominated 23 Apr 1991
Register of the National Estate Indicative Place
Municipal Inventory Adopted 13 Nov 1995 Category A

Statement of Significance

The Brookman and Moir Streets Group is a complete and intact residential development of 1897, undertaken by prominent citizens under William Brookman. The intact working class semi detached houses were constructed in the Federation Queen Anne Style. It demonstrates the social mores and way of life in the developing area north of Perth, at the commencement of the Gold Boom period. It provides a notable example of a late 19th century townscape with its repetitive building forms and development patterns. It is a unique example of a housing estate that includes. The scale of the subdivision and development by a speculative development company is a notable historic and social event of its time. Duplex, 2-4 Brookman Street are integral elements of the Brookman and Mori Streets Group. The form and scale of the typical Federation Queen Anne workers housing was varied in the case of this duplex, with the introduction of the bay windows. This differientiated the duplex pair from the other semi-detached workers housing within the development. It demonstrated the possibility of personalising properties without distrubting the consistent development patterning of the whole development.

Physical Description

An intact residential development dating from 1897 consisting of pairs of attached one storey houses originally built with tuck-pointed red brick and stucco banding, pairs of windows on the gable fronted projection, chimneys and decorative cornices under the eaves line, the houses have undergone degrees of modification from minor to major. With the exception of 2 & 4 Brookman Street, which have bay windows, the houses were originally identical, with identical street setbacks. The one storey duplex pair at No. 2 & 4 Brookman Street are mirror images of eachother. Each double fronted duplex has large faceted bay windows under half timbered and stuccoed gables with finials. The verandahs feature decorative timber valances. The two houses have stucco decorated brick chimneys. The front elevation was originally tuckpointed, with stucco banding. Medium density residential setting comprising small garden or paved front setbacks. Some houses have been rendered and/or painted, original windows and openings have been modified, and chimneys and gable treatments removed or modified.

History

The single-storey duplex dwellings on Brookman and Moir Streets, together with the single residence at 40 Forbes Rd, and the two-storey terraces at 156-184 Lake Street, known as 'Baker's Terrace', were constructed as a single development from 1897. The 15 identical houses in the latter block comprise 'the longest row of two-storey terrace housing in Western Australia' (HCWA). The estate was sited on land reclaimed from Lake Thomson, and was developed by the Colonial Finance Corporation, under William Brookman, a mine developer and Mayor of Perth from 1900-1901. Brookman was interested in the town planning ideas of the time and in his role as mayor helped promote general interest in town planning. Baker's Terrace was named after Robert Baker a cartage contractor who lived opposite at No. 163 Baker, who employed three drivers as well as his three sons, rans his business from his home. There were stables erected at the rear of the property for his horses and a large chaff house in which to store their feed. Forbes Road was not listed in the Wise's Post Office Directories until 1988 and then only as having one resident, William N. Mansfield, a builder (no number). Moir Street was also not listed until this year, when it had residents in houses between numbers 14 and 30. No. 28 and 32 Brookman Street were listed for the first time then also and the occupants were Nathan Zukerman (No. 28) and Miss Elizabeth Kingston (No. 32). Baker's Terrace was constructed as a row of fifteen two-storey terrace houses on Lake Street for middle class residents. The 29 duplex pairs on Moir and Brookman Streets and the single residence on Forbes Road, were constructed for blue collar workers as they were close enough to the City to save on transport costs. The duplex pairs were of more modest size and design than the terrace houses, but the standard of workmanship was similarly high. The estate reflected social mores of the time, with the middle class residences in a prominent position and the working class homes in the smaller streets behind, although the occupations of the residents in 1900 only partially reflected this distinction. The City of Perth rate book listings for Brookman Street show such occupations as miner, accountant, baker, civil servant, engine driver, inspector, painter, lamplighter, government house orderly and barman. In Baker's Terrace, some of the occupations listed are importer, hotel proprietor, contractor, traveler, widow, clairvoyant and labourer. Owner occupancy was, in fact 70 per cent in 1921. It dropped much lower during World War 11 but was well on the increase by 1980 and continued to climb back to 70 per cent in the 1990's. Moir Street was a little slower to regain the 1921 figure. In 1965 the residents of Brookman Street included a mechanic, a stone worker, waitress, wood cutter, factory hand and number of labourers and housewives. The residents of Moir Street were two businessmen and there were less labourers. The other residents included a machinist, a packer, a parts assistant and again several housewives. The surnames on the WA Electoral Rolls indicate that many of the residents at the time were from migrant families. By 1896 the residents of Brookman still bore many names of European origin but now there were some Asian ones amongst them. Their occupations had changed in that were were two lecturers, a teacher, a programmer and a real estate agent amongst them and only one labourer. Moir Street had two journalists, a teacher, solicitor, a grocer, a housewife and also one labourer.

Integrity/Authenticity

Intact or redeemable

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
7430 Brockman & Moir Streets design guidelines. Brochure 1995
9538 15 Moir Street, Perth: conservation works final report, June 2010. Conservation works report 2010
11664 27 Brookman Street, Perth Conservation works report 2017
9712 Final report: Brookman and Moir Streets precinct, 21 Moir Street (Kempster residence). Conservation works report 2011
8873 17 Brookman Street Perth, conservation works. Conservation works report 2007
8993 Brookman & Moir Street precinct. No 11 Moir Street, Perth. Conservation works 2007. Conservation works report 2008
9447 19 Brookman Street, Perth Conservation works report 2010
11663 18 Moir Street, Perth Conservation works report 2016
9509 21 Brookman Street, Perth: conservation works final report. Conservation works report 2010
8848 19 Brookman Street, Perth. Conservation works report 2007
9146 Brookman and Moir Street precinct. No 17 Moir Street, Perth. Conservation works final progress report. Conservation works report 2008
8994 Brookman and Moir Street development guidlines. Heritage Study {Other} 0
12000 How can heritage values be protected in residential precincts undergoing gentrification? A case study of the Brookman and Moir Streets precinct. Heritage Study {Other} 2022

Place Type

Precinct or Streetscape

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Original Use RESIDENTIAL Single storey residence
Present Use RESIDENTIAL Conjoined residence
Original Use RESIDENTIAL Conjoined residence
Present Use RESIDENTIAL Single storey residence

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Queen Anne

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall STONE Limestone
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron
Wall BRICK Common Brick

Historic Themes

General Specific
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Depression & boom
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Land allocation & subdivision

Creation Date

31 Jul 1995

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

04 Jan 2018

Disclaimer

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.