Recommendation of the Executive Director and assessment of cultural heritage significance under Division 3 of the Heritage Act 2017

Name Grasmere Location 9 Auburn Grove, Hawthorn East, Hermes Number 199433 Heritage Overlay Number City of Boroondara, Interim Control HO661 (expires 31 July 2018)

Grasmere (October 2017)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION TO THE HERITAGE COUNCIL: • That the place NOT be included in the Victorian Heritage Register under Section 37 (1)(b) of the Heritage Act 2017.

STEVEN AVERY Executive Director Recommendation Date: Friday 17 November 2017

This recommendation report has been issued by the Executive Director, Heritage under s.37 of the Heritage Act 2017. It has not been considered or endorsed by the Heritage Council of Victoria.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 1 EXTENT OF NOMINATION

Date that the nomination was accepted by the Executive Director 9 May 2016

Written extent of nomination All of the land detailed in the Certificate of Title Volume 5411 Folio 144 and the Mansion on the property known as ‘Grasmere’ (‘Grassmere’), as indicated in red on the diagram.

Nomination extent diagram

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 2 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESPONSE SUMMARY It is the view of the Executive Director that this place should not be included in the Victorian Heritage Register for the reasons outlined in this report.

Grasmere currently has an interim Heritage Overlay control HO661 which expires 31 July 2018. On 22 August 2017, a panel met to consider Boroondara Planning Scheme Amendment C243 Part 2. This included consideration of whether Grasmere should be included in an individual place Heritage Overlay based on its representative value. The Panel concluded that the Heritage Overlay should apply to Grasmere, the residence at 9 Auburn Grove, Hawthorn East, as exhibited.

The Executive Director supports this recommendation in relation to the Heritage Overlay conclusion. The Executive Director is of the view that the place is not of State level cultural heritage significance.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 3 RECOMMENDATION REASONS

REASONS FOR NOT RECOMMENDING INCLUSION IN THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE REGISTER [s.34A(2)] Following is the Executive Director's assessment of the place against the tests set out in The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Thresholds Guidelines (2014).

CRITERION A Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION A The place/object has a CLEAR ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life in Victoria’s cultural history. Plus The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history. Plus The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere has an association with the rapid development of ’s eastern suburbs during the building boom of the 1880s which contributed to the growth and development of Victoria. It is representative of the numerous villas and small mansions within garden settings which were established in Hawthorn and other Melbourne suburbs during this period. The association is evident in the physical fabric of the place and in documentary resources.

Criterion A is likely to be satisfied.

STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION A The place/object allows the clear association with the event, phase etc. of historical importance to be UNDERSTOOD BETTER THAN MOST OTHER PLACES OR OBJECTS IN VICTORIA WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ASSOCIATION.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere is one of many Italianate villas constructed in Melbourne suburbs, and in Victoria during the 1880s. It has no particular features or associations which distinguish it or elevate it above the many residences built in the eastern suburbs during the 1880s building boom. It does not allow the clear association with this phase to be understood any better than a number of similar places in Victoria, including Kawarau in Hawthorn (VHR 489) and Villa Alba (VHR 0605) and Raheen in Kew (VHR H0515). Criterion A is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION B Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION B The place/object has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life of importance in Victoria’s cultural history.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 4 Plus The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history. Plus The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, being one of a small number of places/objects remaining that demonstrates the important event, phase etc. OR The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, containing unusual features of note that were not widely replicated OR The existence of the class of place/object that demonstrates the important event, phase etc is ENDANGERED to the point of rarity due to threats and pressures on such places/objects.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere does not possess uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history. A substantial number of Italianate villas survive as examples of the architectural style, and as evidence of the rapid growth of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs in the 1880s.

Criterion B is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION C Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION C The: • visible physical fabric; &/or • documentary evidence; &/or • oral history, relating to the place/object indicates a likelihood that the place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE of historical interest that is NOT CURRENTLY VISIBLE OR UNDERSTOOD. Plus From what we know of the place/object, the physical evidence is likely to be of an INTEGRITY and/or CONDITION that it COULD YIELD INFORMATION through detailed investigation.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere does not have the potential to yield information that is not currently visible or understood (such as archaeological information) that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history.

Criterion C is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION D Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION D The place/object is one of a CLASS of places/objects that has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, important person(s), custom or way of life in Victoria’s history. Plus

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 5 The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria. Plus The principal characteristics of the class are EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere is part of the class of ‘nineteenth century villas’. This class has a clear association with the development of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs including Hawthorn, Camberwell and Kew, and with the evolution and development of Victoria’s built environment more generally. Grasmere displays characteristics typical of this class of place including an asymmetrical front elevation, verandahs and cast iron lacework balustrades. Criterion D is likely to be satisfied.

STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION D The place/object is a NOTABLE EXAMPLE of the class in Victoria (refer to Reference Tool D).

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere is not a notable example of this class of place in Victoria. It is not highly intact and is not fine, influential or pivotal. Grasmere is one of a number of Italianate villas designed in the 1880s, many of which are more distinctive and display more of the characteristics of the style. Notable examples included in the VHR include Kawarau, Hawthorn (VHR 489), Villa Alba, Kew (VHR 0605) and Raheen, Kew (VHR H0515). Places similar to Grasmere not in the VHR but with heritage overlays include Norwood, Hawthorn (HO 432), 62 Barkers Road, Hawthorn (HO5) and Huntingtower, Hawthorn (HO31).

Criterion D is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION E Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION E The PHYSICAL FABRIC of the place/object clearly exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics.

Executive Director’s Response The physical fabric of Grasmere exhibits aesthetic characteristics through its nineteenth century design within a landscape setting featuring mature trees.

Criterion E is likely to be satisfied.

STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION E The aesthetic characteristics are APPRECIATED OR VALUED by the wider community or an appropriately- related discipline as evidenced, for example, by: • critical recognition of the aesthetic characteristics of the place/object within a relevant art, design, architectural or related discipline as an outstanding example within Victoria; or • wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit in Victoria in medium such as songs, poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, publications, print media etc.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 6

Executive Director’s Response The aesthetic characteristics of Grasmere are appreciated by the community, however there has been no critical recognition of the aesthetic characteristics of the place within a relevant discipline, or wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit in any medium.

Criterion E is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION F Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION F The place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE that clearly demonstrates creative or technical ACHIEVEMENT for the time in which it was created. Plus The physical evidence demonstrates a HIGH DEGREE OF INTEGRITY.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere contains no physical evidence that clearly demonstrates creative or technical achievement for the time in which it was created. Building materials and methods are typical of the period and of the architectural style.

Criterion F is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION G Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to indigenous people as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION G Evidence exists of a DIRECT ASSOCIATION between the place/object and a PARTICULAR COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP. (For the purpose of these guidelines, ‘COMMUNITY or CULTURAL GROUP’ is defined as a sizable group of persons who share a common and long-standing interest or identity). Plus The ASSOCIATION between the place/object and the community or cultural group is STRONG OR SPECIAL, as evidenced by the regular or long-term use of/engagement with the place/object or the enduring ceremonial, ritual, commemorative, spiritual or celebratory use of the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response There is no direct association between Grasmere and a particular community or cultural group.

Criterion G is not likely to be satisfied.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 7 CRITERION H Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION H The place/object has a DIRECT ASSOCIATION with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential CONTRIBUTION to the course of Victoria’s history. Plus The ASSOCIATION of the place/object to the person(s) IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources and/or oral history. Plus The ASSOCIATION: • directly relates to ACHIEVEMENTS of the person(s) at, or relating to, the place/object; or • relates to an enduring and/or close INTERACTION between the person(s) and the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response Grasmere does not have special associations with the life or works of any person of importance in Victoria’s history.

Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 8 ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE [s.34A(2)(d)] Grasmere is significant as a representative example of an Italianate villa constructed in Hawthorn East in the 1880s, but not at a State level.

RELEVANT INFORMATION Local Government Authority City of Boroondara Heritage Overlay Interim Heritage Overlay control HO661 Heritage Overlay Controls External Paint: No Internal Alteration: No Tree: Yes (Deodar Cedar) Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register No Other Listings No Other Names Grassmere

Comments Heritage Victoria staff were unable to gain access to the grounds or interior of Grasmere. Physical assessment took place from the street.

HISTORY In 1838 Robert Hoddle surveyed the Parish of Boroondara, which included Hawthorn East. The first land sales occurred in the 1840s and due to its close proximity to the city, Hawthorn was settled earlier than other eastern suburbs. The construction of a bridge across the and the establishment of the Hawthorn Railway Station in 1861 encouraged further development. During the 1880s building boom, many villas and small mansions set in large gardens were constructed throughout Hawthorn and the surrounding suburbs, occupied by business and professional men and their families.

Grasmere was constructed c. 1883-84 for William McFee. In December 1882, architect James Wood invited tenders for the construction of a two-storey brick villa in Auburn Grove. While this date correlates with the construction of Grasmere, Wood is known to have designed many residences in the area, and at least three in Auburn Grove itself.

William McFee was a general wholesale and retail hardware merchant who operated from premises at 89 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. In 1888 he was included in Volume II of Victoria & its Metropolis as ‘having made steady progress … with 16 employees.’ He was a councillor for the Hawthorn Borough Council from 1887 to 1890. The building boom of the 1880s was followed by a financial depression, and by the early 1890s McFee appeared to be in financial difficulty. His property at 9 Auburn Grove was liquidated to the Commercial Bank of in 1893 and subsequently sold to Emily Hall in 1900, who named the property Grassmere, or Grasmere. In 1927, the property was subdivided and the rear portion containing an orchard was sold. The remainder of the property was sold in the following year. Like many other similar properties in the area, the house was converted into flats in the 1930s before undergoing extensive renovations in the 1980s to re-convert it into a single residence. The place was sold to its current owner in 2016.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 9 CONSTRUCTION DETAILS Architectural style name: Italianate villa Construction started date: c. 1883 Construction ended date: c. 1884

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION Grasmere is located on the corner of Auburn Grove and Fletcher Street and is surrounded by a modern rendered brick fence. The residence is set back from the street, with mature trees including a Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) on either side of a central path leading from the gate to the front door. The residence itself is a large two-storeyed rendered brick building with a slate roof and three rendered chimneys. The front elevation facing Auburn Grove is asymmetrical in design with a canted bay over two storeys on the western side and a verandah with cast iron balustrades and posts to both levels on the eastern side. A swimming pool and garage is located at the rear of the property with access from Fletcher Street.

INTEGRITY/INTACTNESS Intactness –The intactness of the place is fair. It is likely that the building has been extended to the rear and it is possible that some of the internal and external fixtures and fittings are reproductions. (October 2017).

Integrity –The integrity of the place is fair and it is difficult to determine whether elements such as the cast iron balustrading is original or reproduction. The only surviving features of the gardens are two mature trees in front of the residence. The cultural heritage values of the place can be read in the extant fabric. The interior was not inspected. (October 2017).

CONDITION The place is in good condition and from an external inspection beyond the boundary fence, appears to be well maintained.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 10 COMPARISONS Italianate villas in the VHR Kawarau (VHR 489) Kawarau is of historic and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. It is an Italianate mansion originally known as Warrington and was built for Robert Robinson, a Melbourne grain merchant in 1893 at the time of the bank crash and economic depression. The design of the original house has been attributed to Francis Coote, of the architectural practise Beswick and Coote. The house was acquired by Frederick Cato, of the retailing firm Moran and Cato in 1904 who commissioned the architectural firm Ussher and Kemp to undertake extensions, including a billiard room. Kawarau is of historical importance through its ability to demonstrate the wealth amassed by Melbourne merchants in the late nineteenth century, and their demise following the economic depression of the 1890s. The former mansion is also of historical significance for its association with philanthropist Frederick Cato and his retailing firm Moran and Cato. Kawarau is architecturally important as the grandest of a small group of Italianate mansions and possesses one of the most extensive and complete collections of Edwardian plasterwork in Victoria. It also incorporates the widest known assemblage of decorative art nouveau fibrous plaster and timber work. Kawarau is important as a rare example of Francis Coote’s work and as the most intact surviving example of the work of Ussher and Kemp, one of the most important practitioners in Victoria in the Edwardian period.

Kawarau (VHR 489)

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 11 Toorak House (VHR H0207) Toorak House is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. It was built c. 1850-51 for wealthy Melbourne merchant James Jackson, who died before he occupied the house. It was then leased to the Victorian government, who extended and redecorated it for use as the home the Governor. It served as Government House until 1876, when the new Government House was completed. Toorak House was one of the first Italianate houses in the colony, and as the home of the Governor it lent status to the style and had great influence on the houses built by the new rich after the gold rushes. The house reverted to being a private residence in 1876, and was subsequently used as a Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force hostel during World War II and as a church and community centre by the Swedish Church. Toorak House is of historical significance as one of the oldest surviving mansion houses in the State and as the first substantial Government House in Victoria. The house remains as evidence of the early years of the expansion of Melbourne on the south bank of the Yarra River. Toorak House is of architectural significance as one of the first examples in Victoria, and the most influential, of the Italianate style, which became Melbourne's most popular domestic style in the nineteenth century. It is also of significance for its association with the important early architect James Blackburn.

Toorak House (VHR H0207)

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 12 Raheen, Kew (VHR H0515) Raheen is of historic and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. Raheen was constructed in 1870 with an extension added in 1884. It is of historic importance for its association with two of Melbourne¹s elite businessmen, Edward Latham and Sir Henry Wrixon, and illustrates not only the importance of the brewery business and the legal profession in nineteenth century Melbourne, but also the importance of the private residence as an indicator of success and status. The place is of historic importance through its association with the Catholic Church and illustrates the status sought by church hierarchy for Melbourne¹s Catholics and the Church prior to the mid-twentieth century. It is also historically important as the official residence of Archbishop Daniel Mannix who played a significant role within the Melbourne Archdiocese, and also in Australian politics particularly during the Conscription debates of the First World War. Raheen is architecturally important in exhibiting an unusual integration of features in the combination of red brick and cement rendering. The house is architecturally important in exhibiting notable design and aesthetic characteristics of the Italianate style, as well as in internal features and garden design.

Raheen, Kew (VHR H0515)

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 13 Villa Alba, Kew (VHR 0605) Villa Alba is of architectural, historic, social and aesthetic significant to the State of Victoria. It is thought to have been constructed prior to 1863, but was substantially remodelled and enlarged c. 1882-83 for William Greenlaw, Manager of the Colonial Bank of Australasia. Villa Alba is significant for its unusual architectural style, but more importantly, for the outstanding late Victorian painted decoration throughout its interior. The consistently high standard of design, execution, technique and execution all contribute to the significance. The decorative scheme is also of significance as a fine example of the work of the leading Melbourne decorators, Paterson Brothers. The property is of social significance for its association with William Greenlaw during his most prosperous and prominent years.

Villa Alba, Kew (VHR 0605), exterior (left) painted ceiling (right)

SUMMARY OF COMPARISONS The Italianate villas included in the VHR are all highly notable examples of the Italianate style of architecture. Most are highly intact internally and externally, and exhibit most if not all of the principal characteristics of the class of ‘nineteenth century villas’. They are also significant for their association with people who have made a strong or influential contribution to the course of Victoria’s history, including businessmen, philanthropists, architects and decorators. In comparison, while Grasmere is a large nineteenth century residence within a large garden setting, it is not a notable example of the Italianate style. It is not intact and features only a few of the principal characteristics of the class. It also has no known association with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential contribution to the course of Victoria’s history.

KEY REFERENCES USED TO PREPARE ASSESSMENT Broome, Richard et al (2016) Remembering Melbourne , 1850 – 1960, Royal Historical Society of Victoria Inc. Gould, Meredith (1993) Hawthorn Heritage Study Lovell Chen 2009 Review of C* Grade Buildings in the Former City of Hawthorn 2014 Kew and Hawthorn, further heritage investigations – assessment of significant sites Peel, V; Zion D; Yule, J (1993) A History of Hawthorn, Melbourne University Press in association with the City of Hawthorn.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 14 ADDITIONAL IMAGES

2017, Location of Grasmere , 9 Auburn Grove, Hawthorn East

2017, View from Auburn Grove 2017, View from Fletcher Street, looking towards Auburn Grove

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 15

2016, Front view of residence 2016, Rear view of residence Source: Real Estate Brochure Source: Real Estate Brochure

2016, Entrance hall 2016, Study Source: Real Estate Brochure Source: Real Estate Brochure

2016, Bathroom 2016, Kitchen Source: Real Estate Brochure Source: Real Estate Brochure

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 16

1903, MMBW plan, showing the plan of Grasmere with a circular driveway in front. The property has not yet been subdivided and the orchard and fowl house fowl are evident at the left of the image.

1888, Land sales for the Great Junction Estate shows the property of Councillor McFee. Fletcher Street is not indicated and the plan of Grasmere differs from the 1903 MMBW plan and the existing plan.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 17

1881, Title plan showing the original size of the block, running the entire length of Fletcher Street.

Name: Grasmere Hermes Number: 199433 Page | 18