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Concrete House
11 RALEIGH STREET, ESSENDON, MOONEE VALLEY CITY

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Moonee Valley City

House, 11 Raleigh Street

On this page:

Statement of Significance
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Statement of Significance

This house was demolished in 2017-18.

Note: This house was not identified during the Heritage Gaps Study Stage 1. It was identified in 2015 by David Helms as a result of the detailed assessment of the Pascoe Vale Road Precinct.

This house was built in 1914. The architect was Leslie M. Perrott (with the assistance of V.G. Cook, architect and engineer) and it was constructed by the Steelcrete Building Company.

The house is of note for its unusual construction technique, which was developed by J. and T. Muir, engineers of North Melbourne (founders of Steelcrete). The house is constructed using a steel frame covered with concrete. The construction technique was described in a newspaper article:

The steel studs and stanchions are bedded securely upon the concrete foundations, and are braced by holed crossbars which are dropped into position over the studs. The templates are locked on by means of mortised ends as see in iron bed rails. The window sashes and door frames are fitted by the same device. One of the principal features is that the whole structure is erected without screws or bolts. When the frame is complete timber concrete moulds are employed to cover all the steel with concrete.

The house is a single story Edwardian bungalow with Arts & Crafts detailing. It has a hipped roof clad in terracotta tiles with ridge capping and finials, which extends to form a porch over the entry. There is roughcast render to the upper walls and a brick and roughcast chimney with terracotta pots. The house appears to be very intact.

This house is briefly mentioned in Miles Lewis' Australian Building: a cultural investigation inChapter 7,Cement & Concrete, section 7.08Forms and Systems; L.M Perrott (p. 7.08.11).

Of potential historic and technical significance at a local and possibly State level.

Sources
Essendon Gazette and Keilor Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter, 5 February 1914, p.1
Lewis, Miles, 2013, 'Cement & Concrete: Forms and Systems'
State Library of Victoria, 'Plan of concrete residence corner of Pascoe Cr (i.e. Crescent) and Raleigh St, Essendon. Erected by J. and T. Muir, Nth Melb', Accession no. H2006.180/1 LTAD157. Note: the plans were donated to the SLV by Miles Lewis in 2006.

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