CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN VOLUME 1 OF 3 UNIVERSITY HOUSE FORMERLY N.E.S.C.A HOUSE KING STREET NEWCASTLE Prepared for: Prepared by EJE Heritage APRIL 2011 Ref: 8836-CMP-UH-002 CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN UNIVERSITY HOUSE, NEWCASTLE TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME 1 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.2 HERITAGE LISTINGS ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 SITE AND OWNERSHIP ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................. 8 1.5 ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 8 1.6 DEFINITIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 9 1.7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 9 2. HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY HOUSE............................................................................................................ 10 2.1 NEWCASTLE’S FIRST INHABITANTS .............................................................................................. 10 2.2 EARLY TOWN DEVELOPMENT AND THE AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY (A.A. CO.) ... 10 2.3 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CIVIC PRECINCT BUILDING SCHEME ................................................ 11 2.4 THE CONCEPT ................................................................................................................................ 11 2.5 PLANNING N.E.S.C.A HOUSE .......................................................................................................... 12 2.6 THE ARCHITECTS ........................................................................................................................... 13 2.7 ALDERMAN H FENTON.................................................................................................................... 14 2.8 GUY ALLBUT.................................................................................................................................... 14 2.9 DESIGNING N.E.S.C.A. HOUSE ....................................................................................................... 14 2.10 CONSTRUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 15 2.11 LATER EXTENSIONS AND ALTERATIONS ...................................................................................... 20 2.12 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 26 3. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE ............................................................................................................................... 27 3.1 CONTEXT OF THE SITE................................................................................................................... 27 3.2 ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN ...................................................................................... 28 3.3 SUBSEQUENT ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS ............................................................................. 29 3.4 REMAINING ORIGINAL STRUCTURE AND INTERPRETATION ....................................................... 30 3.5 GENERAL CONDITION OF THE FABRIC........................................................................................ 37 4. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................... 39 4.1 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE................................................................................................................. 39 4.2 EMIL SODERSTEN ........................................................................................................................... 39 5. THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL ENVIRONMENT .................................................................. 42 5.1 LANDSCAPE AND SETTING ............................................................................................................ 42 5.2 UNIVERSITY HOUSE AND VIEWS ................................................................................................... 43 6. HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................................................................................ 47 6.1 HISTORICAL THEMES ..................................................................................................................... 47 6.2 PRE-EXISTING STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF NESCA HOUSE: NSW STATE HERITAGE REGISTER ....................................................................................................................................... 48 6.3 NSW HERITAGE ASSESSMENT – ANALYSIS OF SIGNIFICANCE ................................................... 49 6.4 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANCE......................................................................................................... 51 6.5 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ..................................................................................................... 51 6.6 TREATMENT OF SIGNIFICANT FABRIC .......................................................................................... 51 6.7 FABRIC AND OTHER FEATURES WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO SIGNIFICANCE (LIST OF HERITAGE ITEMS) ............................................................................................................................................. 52 7. CURTILAGE OF UNVERSITY HOUSE ........................................................................................................ 53 8. OBLIGATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES ...................................................................................................... 54 8.1 CONSTRAINTS & OPPORTUNITIES ARISING OUT OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ....................... 54 Prepared by EJE Heritage Page 1 Nominated Architect – Peter Campbell No. 4294 8836-CMP-Volume 1 of 3.doc CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN UNIVERSITY HOUSE, NEWCASTLE 8.2 STATUTORY CONTROLS ................................................................................................................ 54 8.3 NON-STATUTORY CONTROLS........................................................................................................ 57 8.4 CONSTRAINTS & OPPORTUNITIES ARISING OUT OF HERITAGE CURTILAGE & VIEWS ............. 58 8.5 CONSTRAINTS & OPPORTUNITIES ARISING OUT OF CONDITION & INTEGRITY OF BUILT FABRIC ............................................................................................................................................ 58 8.6 STAKEHOLDERS ............................................................................................................................. 58 8.7 CLIENT’S REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................. 59 9. CONSERVATION POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................. 60 9.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 60 9.2 GENERAL POLICY AND STRATEGY................................................................................................ 60 9.3 CARE OF FABRIC ............................................................................................................................ 61 9.4 MAINTENANCE WORKS .................................................................................................................. 64 9.5 USE OF SITE AND BUILDING .......................................................................................................... 65 9.6 APPROPRIATENESS OF USE.......................................................................................................... 65 9.7 NEW WORK POLICIES..................................................................................................................... 65 9.8 NEW WORKS RESULTING FROM STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS ................................................. 67 9.9 RECORDING POLICIES FOR CONSERVATION WORK ................................................................... 67 9.10 POLICIES FOR INTERPRETATION .................................................................................................. 67 9.11 CONSERVING THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND SIGNIFICANT SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS........ 68 10. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 69 APPENDICES Appendix A: Conservation Terminology Appendix B: Reductions Suggested By the Architect, 25 October 1937 Appendix C: Electrical Engineer and Managers Report Appendix D: Part of 1939 Commemorative Booklet Appendix E: Database Listings from Online Registers for the National Estate and NSW Heritage Branch Appendix F: Minimum Standards of Maintenance and Repair Appendix G: Standard Exemptions Volume 2 Appendix H: Inventory