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War Service Homes Heritage Area
Birdwood, Mitchell, Monash and Prince Streets Maribyrnong, Maribyrnong City

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Maribyrnong City
HO12(5) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
HO12(5) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
HO12(5) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
HO12(2) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
HO12(3) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
HO12(1) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
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HO12(6) - War Service Homes, Heritage Area, Maribyrnong.JPG
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Statement of Significance

Statement of Significance

The War Service Homes Precinct is historically significant to the City of Maribyrnong because:
- the War Service homes part of the precinct has a distinctive function related to events in the City and the State's history, this being the city's best example of such a war service estate (Criteria A4, B2) ; and
- the precinct as a whole is expressive of the immediate post WW1 era and thus reflects an important era of growth in the City, with well preserved, if simple, examples of single storey detached Californian Bungalow and Mediterranean villa style weatherboard houses, with common front and side setbacks and originally fronted with wire fabric or low simple timber picket style fencing (Criterion A4).

Australian Heritage Commission (AHC) criteria

The Australian Heritage Commission criteria consist of a set of eight criteria which cover social, aesthetic, scientific, and historic values. Each criterion has sub-criteria written specifically for cultural or natural values. The relevant criteria are:

A.4 demonstrates well the course and pattern of history, important historic events

B.2 rarity



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    • Physical Description 1

      War Service Homes Heritage Area - Physical Description 1

      The general character of the precinct is one of detached timber inter-war housing, with gabled Californian Bungalows (i.e. numbers 2-34 Birdwood Street) comprising the majority of the housing stock. There are also some Mediterranean villa style weatherboard houses with corrugated iron hipped roofs. There are common front and side setbacks and properties originally were fronted with wire fabric or low simple timber picket style fencing. Block sizes are regular, as shown in LP10486, and single 3m maximum width crossovers to garaging set at the back of the block is accessed by side drives. The precinct contains concrete footpaths, plus basalt kerb and channelling.

      Alterations have depleted the period expression in the western part of the estate, making Prince Street the western border of the precinct, with Monash Street being the main focus. Of the 75 places listed, 66 sites are in the war service estate (Monash, parts Birdwood and Mitchell Streets) and 9 from the Johnstone survey. Of these 75 houses 73 are contributory to the expression of the inter-war period.

      The playgrounds and parklands provided for the war service estate on the south-west and northwest corners of Monash St and Gordon Street (outside of the estate) has been developed for units. Trees along Birdwood St include paperbarks and casuarinas which date from post WW2.

      Physical Conditions

      War Service Homes Heritage Area - Physical Conditions

      Physical Conditions: fair (disturbed, reasonably preserved)

      Integrity

      War Service Homes Heritage Area - Integrity

      Integrity: partially intact/intrusions

      Historical Australian Themes

      War Service Homes Heritage Area - Historical Australian Themes

      Thematic context
      Australian Principal Theme Making suburbs
      PAHT Subtheme Making suburbs
      Local Theme(s) Twentieth Century Residential Development

      Physical Description 2

      War Service Homes Heritage Area - Physical Description 2

      Map (Melway) 28 A12
      Boundary description Mitchell, Birdwood and Prince Streets with emphasis on all original inter-war (c1919-38) elements, including houses and out-buildings, fences, road paving, footpaths, lot sizes and street patterns.
      Heritage Significance City
      Creation date(s) 1920s
      Local Government Area City of Maribyrnong
      Ownership Type Private & Public

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Maribyrnong - Maribyrnong Heritage Review

      Author: Jill Barnard, Graeme Butler, Francine Gilfedder & Gary Vines
      Year: 2000
      Grading:

      Maribyrnong - City of Footscray Urban Conservation Study

      Author: Graeme Butler
      Year: 1989
      Grading:

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
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