Ed Recommendation
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Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria Name: Crossman House Address: 151 Finch Street, Glen Iris Local Government Authority: City of Stonnington Crossman House, December 2020. Executive Director recommendation Under Part 3, Division 3 of the Heritage Act 2017 I recommend to the Heritage Council of Victoria that the Crossman House, 151 Finch Street, Glen Iris, should not be included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). STEVEN AVERY Executive Director, Heritage Victoria DATE OF RECOMMENDATION: 11 January 2021 OFFICIAL Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria Heritage Council determination The Executive Director, Heritage Victoria, recommends that the Heritage Council not include the Crossman House, 151 Finch Street, Glen Iris, in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) in accordance with section 49 of the Heritage Act 2017 (the Act) by determining that: • The Crossman House is not of State-level cultural heritage significance and should not be included in the VHR in accordance with s.49(1)(b) of the Act. • The information presented in this recommendation suggests that the Crossman House may be of potential local significance. • Under section 49(1)(c) of the Act the Heritage Council may wish to refer the recommendation and any submissions to the relevant planning authority for consideration for an amendment to a planning scheme. At the time of writing, the City of Stonnington had advertised an amendment to the Stonnington Planning Scheme (C304) to apply an individual Heritage Overlay to the Crossman House (HO643) and was considering submissions. The City of Stonnington has proposed internal controls as part of the Heritage Overlay. The local heritage significance of the Crossman House is reflected in the proposed application of an individual Heritage Overlay in the Stonnington Planning Scheme. Crossman House 2 Hermes No: 206265 Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria The process from here 1. The Heritage Council publishes the Executive Director’s recommendation (section 41). The Heritage Council of Victoria will publish the Executive Director’s recommendation on its website for a period of 60 days. Submissions must be received by Heritage Council on or before 15 March 2021. 2. Making a submission to the Heritage Council (sections 44 and 45) Within the 60-day publication period, any person or body can make a submission to the Heritage Council. This submission can support the recommendation, or object to the recommendation and a hearing can be requested in relation to the submission. Information about making a submission and submission forms are available on the Heritage Council of Victoria’s website: https://heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/registrations-reviews/executive-director-recommendations/ 3. Heritage Council determination (sections 46 and 49) The Heritage Council of Victoria is an independent statutory body. It is responsible for making the final determination to include or not include the place or object in the VHR, or amend a place or object already in the VHR. If no submissions are received, the Heritage Council must make a determination within 40 days of the publication closing date. If submissions are received, the Heritage Council may decide to hold a hearing in relation to the submission. If a hearing does take place, the Heritage Council must make a determination within 90 days after the completion of the hearing. 4. Obligations of owners of places and objects (sections 42 and 43) The owner of a place or object which is the subject of a recommendation to the Heritage Council has certain obligations under the Heritage Act 2017. These relate to advising the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria, in writing of any works or activities that are being carried out, proposed or planned for the place. The owner also has an obligation to provide a copy of this statement of recommendation to any potential purchasers of the place or object before entering into a contract. 5. Further information The relevant sections of the Act are provided at Appendix 1. Crossman House 3 Hermes No: 206265 Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria Description The following is a description of the Crossman House at the time of the site inspection by Heritage Victoria in December 2020. The Crossman House is a double-storey 1970s brick residence in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Iris. The house is oriented to the east to face Finch Street. On the street side, the property is bounded by a high, curved brick wall. Entry to the property is via either a timber pedestrian gate or adjacent driveway gates. The front garden comprises a gravel driveway, mature eucalypts and other native shrubs. The house’s front elevation is dominated by the sharply angled roof and an almost full height window wall to the east and north. The main entry to the house is via a stepped, paved terrace beneath a timber sunshade. Internally, the double-height entry lobby contains a stairwell and garden. The ground floor contains an open plan living area with timber cabinetry along the north internal wall. A void above enables natural light to enter. The remainder of the ground floor contains a breakfast nook, kitchen, laundry and study. In most areas, the walls and ceilings are lined with pale timber boards. The upper level is accessed via a ramped stairway that follows the line of the window wall. The upper level comprises two bedrooms, bathroom and small additional study. The master bedroom is lit by north-facing windows that open on to the void that also lights the living area. A timber deck wraps around the rear of the house and can be accessed from both bedrooms and the bathroom. A spiral staircase can be used to access the rear garden which contains a pool and small combined studio and cellar. 2020, view of house from Finch Street. 2020, carport and front garden. Source: realestate.com Source:realas.com 2020, internal garden and stairwell. 2020, living area. Source: realestate.com Source: realas.com Crossman House 4 Hermes No: 206265 Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria 2020, kitchen. 2020, master bedroom. Source: realas.com Source: realas.com 2020, bathroom. 2020, bedroom. Source: realas.com Source: realestate.com 2020, rear deck. 2020, pool and back garden. Source: realestate.com Source: realas.com Crossman House 5 Hermes No: 206265 Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria History The Crossman family Jules and Ruth Crossman and their two children emigrated from the United Kingdom and settled in Melbourne in early 1955.1 The Crossmans met Kevin Borland in the early 1970s and commissioned him to design a series of holiday flats in Launching Place. The ‘Crossman flats’ were critically recognised for their inventive design and received the RAIA Housing Award in 1974.2 The Crossmans purchased the land at 151 Finch Street in what was then known as Malvern in 1976. They again commissioned Borland, this time to design their family home. They moved into the house in 1978 and resided there until 1982. Kevin Borland Kevin Borland is one of the best represented twentieth-century architects in the Victorian Heritage Register. He was born in 1926 in West Melbourne.3 In the early 1940s he studied technical drawing and construction at the Melbourne Technical College and in 1944 commenced his study of architecture at the University of Melbourne. He studied alongside Peter McIntyre and under the tutelage of Robin Boyd, Roy Grounds and Frederick Romberg. Borland completed his degree in 1950 after a break in his study during which he served in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. He designed his first residence, the highly inventive and distinctive Rice House (VHR H0123), in 1951. At the age of 26, just two years after graduating, he was part of the team to win a national competition for the design of the Olympic Swimming Stadium (VHR H1977). Other residential commissions followed throughout the 1950s and several of his homes from this era survive, including the Mollar House in Beaumaris. These early works of Borland’s are characterised by their rational simplicity and reflect the international architectural Modernism of architects such as Harry Seidler. Borland began teaching at RMIT in 1955 and went into partnership with Geoff Trewenack in the same year. His work on Preshil Junior School (VHR H0072) began in 1962 and continued into the next decade. Preshil would become one of his most iconic works, and encapsulated his progressive, participatory approach to design and skill in working with timber to produce striking yet hospitable buildings.4 Alongside Daryl Jackson, Borland designed the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre (VHR H0069) in 1968. The boldly expressive building is widely considered one of the most notable examples of Brutalist architecture in Victoria.5 Drawing on some of the physical characteristics of his Preshil buildings, in 1970 Borland designed the Paton House – one of his most highly regarded and influential houses.6 The Paton House represented the emergence of the dynamic and rugged timber residential design that Borland became known for and was awarded an RAIA merit award in 1972.7 In the same year Borland received an RAIA medal for his work on the Preshil buildings. A series of notable house designs in this style followed, including the Crossman Flats which also received critical recognition. In 1975, Borland led the Architects Group in the design of the Former Clyde Cameron College (VHR H2192), another of the most notable Brutalist buildings in Victoria.8 Borland was a highly regarded educator and taught at all three architectural schools in Melbourne across several decades.