House

Statement of Significance

This large and rambling house at 156 Vincent Street is a good example of Federation Queen Anne style, adapted with extensions to provide accommodation suitable for a doctor. Its size makes it an important townscape element.

Physical Description

This large rambling single storey dwelling has a complex roof structure, indicating additions in variations of the original style. The original section of the house has a hipped roof with a feature flying gable, half timbered decoration, over a projecting front room. The extensions continued the banded face brickwork, with a squatter hipped roof and extended verandah over an entrance porch, possibly to a home surgery, marked by a pair of Doric columns. The house is in a prominent position at the intersection of Fitzgerald and Vincent Streets. It is setback from both street frontages and a landscaped lawn and garden are apparent behind the low brick boundary fence. Refer to extensions outlined in the Physical Description.

History

Vincent Street was named after Mr George Vincent, Chief Draftsman in the Lands Department, the original grantee of the land on the north side of this street, to the east of Charles Street, who named the street for himself on the issue of the grant circa 1876. The street once formed part of the Hyde Park Heights Estate, with the eastern end also called the Tramways Estate. No. 156 was built circa 1912, in the same year in which its adjacent dwelling at No. 154 was built. Both of them are relatively large houses when compare with the other dwellings between the section of Ethel and Fitzgerald Streets along Vincent Street at the time. The Wise's Post Office Directories first list Daniel Totterdell (Totterdell Brothers) as the residents at the subject dwelling in 1912 however no street number was located. In 1913 street number No. 156 appears in the Directories with the same occupants who stayed until 1927. From 1928, No. 156 was occupied by various medical practitioners, including Daniel Mulcahy (1928-1935) and Reginald J. Wheeler (1936-1949). The dwelling was used as a doctor's surgery and residence until 2000 when an application for the change of use was approved by the Council to convert the property to office use. No. 154 Vincent Street has undergone several renovations throughout the period. A Building Licence Plan suggests that new cyclone fences and a granolithic footpath in the front yard were constructed in 1936. A Building Licence was issued to R. J. Wheeler for the construction of a garage in 1949 and D. J. Wheeler was granted a Building Licence for the alteration of bathroom and verandah in 1957.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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