Shops
296-298 Malvern Road PRAHRAN, Stonnington City
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Statement of Significance
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Shops - Physical Description 1
296-298 Malvern Road, was formerly a pair of early Victorian shops located on a busy suburban artery near the heart of Prahran. It is presently occupied by a single tenant. The character of this section of Malvern Road has been overwritten continually since the construction of this building. Today, the area is dominated by the towering Housing Commission development. Schools, shops, residences and medical suites occupy sites nearby while trams pedestrians and heavy traffic occupy the streets. The premises at 296-298 Malvern Road constitute an important remnant of the built fabric of early Prahran in this area. The present tenant occupies a semi-detached pair of shops in a simple, two-storey building whose symmetrical facade is built on the front boundary of the property. The ground floor may have been somewhat remodelled to provide large internal areas and an uncomplicated glazed facade. The form of the original recessed entries have survived as have early doors and some early window joinery but decorative render has been removed at this level to produce surfaces that are free from ornament. The casts iron verandah to the ground floor has also been removed, although the fixing points of the columns remain visible on the kerb.
The first floor, by contrast is rich in decorative stucco. Fluted pilasters at the centre and ends of the building rise from the first floor level to an elaborately modelled parapet. The parapet for each shop is underscored by dentils and surmounted by scroll devices which flank decorative panels bearing the construction date. However the foci for the upper sections of each building are the elaborate aedicules that represent an elaborate, structural frame around each of the four first floor windows. Fluted consoles and pilasters modelled in render support segmental arches above the windows. The window penetrations are enriched by rendered archivolts with decorative keystones and sash windows with arched timber joinery. A number of pedestals to the parapet appear designed to support decorative urns, most probably removed in this century due to structural instability. Reinstatement of these urns would further enliven the composition.
The composition draws heavily from Italianate sources and the Victorian taste for facades that explore the complex interplay of classical elements. It achieves an unusual richness through the vigorous sculpting of surfaces and the layering of architectural elements. The building appears to be in excellent condition.
Shops - Local Historical Themes
7.1 Serving local communities
Shops - Shopfront
Intact elements: 2 shopfronts, timber framed (lamb's tongue profile) with highlights, recessed entries with stone-slab floor, panelled door to 296.
Heritage Study and Grading
Stonnington - City of Stonnington Heritage Overlay Report (Stages 1-5) 1998
Author: Bryce Raworth P/L
Year: 1998
Grading: A2Stonnington - Conservation Review City of Prahran Volume 4: A2 Buildings
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 1993
Grading: A2Stonnington - City of Stonnington - Heritage Precincts - Intact Shop Fronts Survey 2012
Author: Context P/L
Year: 2012
Grading:
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