Model Timber Home

Statement of Significance

Model Timber Home, a single-storey Jarrah weatherboard and tile residence in the Inter-War Californian Bungalow style set in original landscaped gardens and built as a model home in 1934, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: the place was one of two winning designs in the competition run by the Model Homes Committee as part of the Building Revival Campaign, an initiative to promote and stimulate employment in the home building industry during the economic depression of the 1930s; the place is a significant example of the work of architect Reg Summerhayes who was a prominent member of the architectural profession in Western Australia during the inter-war period; the place is a rare example of a home which has remained substantially unchanged with original fittings, furnishings and garden layout since its construction in 1934; the place was one of the first two homes built in the Floreat Park No 1 Estate, which was planned as a Garden Suburb by the City of Perth under the influence of Town Clerk WE Bold who promoted the principles of the Garden City Movement in Western Australia in the 1920s and 30s; and, the place has associations with J J Kenneally, Minister for Employment, who laid the foundation stone and who subsequently opened the house.

Physical Description

Model Timber Home located at 12 The Boulevard Floreat, comprises a single storey, painted Jarrah weatherboard and tile residence. The front elevation of the house is set back from the front boundary and located towards the eastern side of the lot with a pathway down the western side of the house. The front and side boundaries are defined by a low non-original picket fence. The front garden features many original plants including a tall poplar tree on the eastern side of the house, rose beds and borders of various flowering shrubs typical of gardens from the inter-war period. Fixed to the side of the house is the foundation stone laid by the Hon. J. J. Kenneally MLA, Minister for Employment and Industries, on 5 November 1933, on behalf of the Model Homes Committee. The house comprises the original section constructed in 1933 and a modest addition at the rear constructed in 1977. External walls are of painted Jarrah weatherboard on brick footings. The roof is moderately pitched and hipped with a feature gable over the front verandah. The roof is clad with terracotta tiles and the gable features vertically hung timber shingles which have been retained unpainted and stained, with a circular roof vent which is painted white. The eaves are wide and generally lined, apart from the eaves of the front gable which are battened. The eaves are finished with a timber facia board and ogee profile gutters. There are two chimneys, which are rendered and painted brick with a simple ridge detail to the tops with terracotta pots. The front verandah ring beam is supported on a series of circular tapered columns designed to give a classical effect, with a timber balustrade featuring vertical balusters and a central feature panel with a criss cross design. Windows are timber framed double hung casements with timber framed fly screens fixed externally. The sashes are divided into small panes with leadlight and have obscure glass borders. Windows to the front elevation have ornamental shutters with diamond shaped cut-outs and window boxes. The front door is timber with three vertical panels to the lower section and one glazed leadlight panel of obscure uncoloured glass. The door has matching side panels with sidelights. A steel mesh security screen is not original. The gardens are in good condition with original features, trees and plants.

History

In the nineteenth century the area to the north west of Perth known as the Large Lakes District was sparsely settled for agricultural purposes. The area currently known as Floreat comprised Locations Ak, to the west, and Al, in which Model Brick Home and Model Timber Home is currently located. Henry Trigg, builder and businessman acquired approximately 800 acres of this land and established a quarrying and lime burning enterprise on the property. In 1844 the property, known as the Limekilns Estate, was purchased by Walter Padbury and in 1869, the Limekilns Estate was sold to Henry and Somers Birch in for £1,000 and in 1880 to Joseph Perry for £1,950. The limekilns operated throughout the 1880s and 1890s and, until their closure in 1906, provided building materials for the developing residential areas of Subiaco and Leederville. The area between the Limekilns Estate and the coast remained crown land until 1855 when it was proclaimed the Endowment Lands. The Endowment Lands were originally part of the Perth Commonage, a large area bounded by the coast and extending from North Fremantle to north of Herdsman Lake. The purpose of the land was to provide income for municipal works through payment for use of the land for timber and stone. The Endowment Lands were vested in the Perth City Council in 1883, who were empowered to lease the land for a maximum of ten years. Settlement in the area between the City of Perth and the Limekilns Estate (present day West Leederville and Wembley) developed outwards from the city in a westerly direction in the period from the late nineteenth century to World War One. In 1917, the Limekilns Estate, which by this time comprised 1,290 acres (522 hectares), was purchased from Joseph Perry by the City of Perth for £18,000. This gave the City of Perth control of a continuous area of land from the city to the coast. The City of Perth Endowment Lands Act of 1920 enabled the City of Perth to develop and sell the previously allocated land. From the early 1900s, there had been proposals to construct a beach resort for city dwellers in the vicinity of present day City Beach. The emphasis, however, on development in this area differed from earlier development patterns, which had been dominated by speculation in land values with pressure exerted by private speculators. In the 1920s, the focus was put on the planning process with control exerted over road layout, proportion of open space, gardens and community service. The proponent for this was influential City of Perth Town Clerk, W. E. Bold. Bold was one of the State’s leading exponents of the Garden City Movement which had a direct influence on the planning of Floreat Park and City Beach. The United Kingdom's Housing and Planning Act of 1909 was recognition of the development of the discipline of Town Planning, which emerged as an outcome of the Garden Cities Movement in the early 1900s. The Garden Cities Movement developed in the UK in response to necessary improvements to residential amenities for workers in nineteenth century industrial cities. In 1910, the Royal Institute of British Architects held an inaugural Town Planning Conference in London. Copies of papers given at the conference were received in Perth together with a proposal that a lecture series be conducted in Australia by representatives of the Garden Cities and Town Planning Association. The issue was promoted by W E Bold and, in 1914, lectures were presented in Perth, Fremantle and Boulder by W R Davridge of the London County Council. Subsequently the first Australian Town Planning Conference andExhibition was held in Adelaide in October 1917. These ideas influenced Bold to promote the development of two satellite towns in the area west of Selby Street to be separated by a belt of undeveloped land. In 1925, the Perth City Council set aside the area known as Bold Park for this purpose. The area originally included Reabold Hill, Perry Lakes and the Wembley Golf Course. In 1925, the City of Perth commissioned Land Surveyors Hope and Klem to design two town sites, one located on the former Endowment Lands and the other on the eastern side of the former Limekilns Estate. The result was two plans with extensive use of curved roads. The eventual subdivisions, however, were modifications of the Hope and Klem designs. A direct outcome of the scheme was the construction of the Boulevard as an extension of Cambridge Street, from Selby Street, through the new area to the coast. The Boulevard was officially opened by Governor Sir William Campion on 23 November 1928. The sale of land in City Beach commenced in early 1929. By the late 1920s, the effects of the international economic depression were felt by Western Australia's building industry. In order to promote renewed confidence in home building, the industry established a Building Revival Committee which had widespread support from local government, industry and the professionals. The committee proposed the construction of two model homes, one of brick and one of timber, as a means of focusing attention on the advantages of home construction. It aimed to demonstrate to the public the extent to which labour was employed and the widespread dispersal of wages which would result from home building; thus revitalising the building industry and economy in general. As a result the Model Homes Committee of the Building Revival Campaign was formed with representatives from the Royal Institute of Architects, Master Builders and Contractors Association, Brick Manufacturers, Sawmillers Association, Economic Council, Hardware Association and the Perth sub-branch of Returned Services League (RSL). The committee hoped that material and labour would be donated, and it was decided that all profits would be used to provide relief from unemployment, particularly for youths. In the West Australian of 30 August 1933, the Secretary of the RIA, Mr. Reg Summerhayes, called for competitive designs for the houses with the commitment that the Institute would reimburse the winners for the preparation of drawings, specifications and architectural supervision. The houses were to be economical examples of ideal modern homes; the one of brick to cost no more than £850, and the one of timber to cost no more than £600. By the second meeting of the Model Homes Committee on 31 August 1933, the Perth City Council had agreed to donate two blocks of land in the satellite suburb of Floreat Park surveyed several years before. Although the Committee had twelve other blocks from which to choose, it selected the City of Perth offer. The winning designs were selected in the first week of November 1933. The winning entry for the timber home was by architect Mr Reg Summerhayes, R.I.A.. Explaining the salient features of his plan, Mr.Summerhayes said; "… that a simple compact plan had been arrived at, designed essentially for convenience and economy in the working of the home. The main living rooms - lounge and dining room - were located at the front of the house, with an ample front verandah to take advantage of the southwest summer winds....[the lounge had doors] leading off to a terrace...Hall and passage space had been kept to a minimum consistent with convenience and direct access to all rooms. Cupboards were provided for linen, coats etc. The kitchen was conveniently located and opened onto the back porch in which was the laundry. Plenty of cupboards were provided in the kitchen to accommodate food, china, pots and pans, etc..., all conveniently placed for efficient and comfortable working. The bedroom wing was self-contained, comprising two bedrooms, sleep-out and bathroom. Provision had been made behind the house for a large drying ground and a vegetable garden on one side of the block, and a formal garden with pool, paths and rose pergolas, etc., on the other side. The natural trees on the site would be retained as far as possible; and it is hoped that the layout of the garden at the back as suggested would encourage the adoption of this feature, set in natural surroundings. The exterior of the house had been kept quite simple, with a brick foundation, weatherboard walls and tile roof, with a definite Georgian feeling in the design, which was very adaptable to our conditions. The weatherboarding and other external timbers would be painted cream with the exception of the window shutters, which would be an apple-green. The gable would be green with split wood shingles, also painted." Messrs. H. W. Ennis and H. Pilgrim were nominated by the Master Builders and Contractors' Association to undertake the work of supervising construction, in cooperation with the architects. Materials and labour for the model homes, including shrubs for the gardens, were all donated. This was also extended to include the remission of sales tax on donations, and the Commissioner of Railways transported bricks over the government lines free of freight charge. The ceremony to lay the foundation stones (also donated) was held on Sunday 5 November 1933. The Lord Mayor of Perth, MR J T Franklin, officiated at the ceremony. Lieutenant Governor Sir James Mitchell and the Minister for Employment Mr. J. J. Kenneally laid the stones for the brick and timber houses respectively. Both model homes were opened at ceremonies held on 1 April 1934, again by the Lieutenant Governor and the Hon. J. J. Kenneally. The brick home was furnished, but the timber home was not. After the ceremony, the houses were opened to the public on various days, with afternoon tea provided by the Children'sHospital Women's Auxiliary. During the promotion of the model homes, land in the Floreat Park area was advertised for sale and development of the area soon commenced. In the first land auction held at Floreat Park on 14 April 1934, blocks sold for between £45 and £75. Model Timber Home and land was bought from the City of Perth by solicitor Douglas George Horley, on 23 August 1934. During World War Two, Douglas Horley was Senior Company Commander of the 2nd 16th Battalion and was killed in action in Syria on 13 June 1941. From 1941, Mrs Horley raised her three children in the home. In 1977, a modest addition was constructed to provide additional accommodation. This included two bedrooms, a new bathroom and a family room. The Horley family were associated with the home until the 2000s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Authenticity: Very High Degree Integrity: Has been extended at the back but both the house and garden including paths and fencing and original planting are largely as originally constructed.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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