Shop and Residence including interiors

Item details


Name of item:	Shop and Residence including interiors
Other name/s:	Residential/Retail Building
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Retail and Wholesale
Category:	Shop
Location:	Lat: -33.8589509502016 Long: 151.205012023614
Primary address:	75-77 Lower Fort Street, Dawes Point, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
75-77 Lower Fort Street	Dawes Point	Sydney			Primary Address
75-77 Lower Fort Street	Millers Point	Sydney			Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	No. 75-77 Lower Fort Street is a rare surviving example of a purpose designed and built Inter-War Period Free Classical Style shop and residence. With the Hero of Waterloo hotel at No. 81-83, and its neighbour at No.79 Lower Fort Street, it represents the commercial-retail hub that played an important part in servicing the local community. The building has social significance as it has been used for its intended purpose as a local shop and residence continuously for 83 years (from 1928 until 2011) serving the local community. It demonstrates the intervention of the Sydney Harbour Trust in promoting local community facilities in the context of the major reconstruction works undertaken following the outbreak of the Bubonic plague. This purpose built retail and residential building is an important component in the long line of important structures along the western side of Lower Fort Street which have contributed to the character of the State significant Millers Point Conservaiton Area.
	Date significance updated: 30 Jul 14
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Construction years:	1927-1928
Physical description:	An Inter-war Free Classical style building with external walls of dark red-brown face brick and decorated with rendered and painted bands and parapet detailing. It was built as a shop and residence with garage underneath. It reads as two storeys facing Lower Fort Street and three storeys to Downshire Street. At ground floor level fronting Lower Fort Street is a glazed shopfront with central recessed door opening. The shopfront takes up most of the ground floor facade area and on its southern side there is a timber framed glazed entry door to the residence. An original suspended, riveted steel awning projects across the entire front elevation of the building. The first floor has three double hung nine pane sash windows with transom lights above. There is a high parapet concealing the skillion roof. The rear western elevation features common brickwork with decorative brickwork over the openings. At ground floor level there is timber enclosed verandah. There are three double hung windows with multi-paned sashes at first floor level. Below the verandah is the original garage door opening and timber window to the existing laundry. The main internal spaces of the building at all three levels are largely intact. Significant internal fabric includes the original and early doors and timber joinery, fireplaces, timber fretwork stair rails, timber flooring, compressed composite fibre boarded ceilings with timber straps and rolled steel joists.
Further information:	Was listed as a heritage item in 1989 and remains so since that time. Heritage Inventory sheets are often not comprehensive, and should be regarded as a general guide only. Inventory sheets are based on information available, and often do not include the social history of sites and buildings. Inventory sheets are constantly updated by the City as further information becomes available. An inventory sheet with little information may simply indicate that there has been no building work done to the item recently: it does not mean that items are not significant. Further research is always recommended as part of preparation of development proposals for heritage items, and is necessary in preparation of Heritage Impact Assessments and Conservation Management Plans, so that the significance of heritage items can be fully assessed prior to submitting development applications.


Current use:	Residential
Former use:	Residential, Retail

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora.

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today.The site consists of the northern portion of the grant made to William Hutchinson and confirmedby the Lands Commissioners in 1836.

William Hutchinson, an emancipist, was Superintendent of Convicts and a large-scale landowner and man of business in Sydney. He acquired considerable holdings at Millers Point, including an allotment along Pottinger Street. The northern end of this allotment joined the allotment on which numbers 75-77 were to stand.

The Lower Fort Street allotment was on land which fell away steeply towards the later Walsh Bay. Its northern end became the site of portion of Downshire Street. From the late 1830s, this street formed the effective northern boundary, as it still does.

In 1840-1, the site of number 79 was built on. A handsome two-storey (with basement) public house was erected by Joseph Faris on Hutchinson’s land. Called the Young Princess, it was renamed the Whaler’s Arms by 1847. The public house features prominently in John Rae’s well-known picture of Millers Point. Though dated as 1842, the picture can be no earlier than 1845 Rae’s picture shows the site of numbers 75-77 as vacant, with a low brick wall on the Lower Fort Street frontage.This is confirmed by later maps, which indicate only a few sheds on the land.

It is evident from Rae’s picture of the corner public house that this building was intended for an extension to the north along Lower Fort Street. It was not uncommon to have a corner inn or store joined to a row of terrace houses.The subject site was used as a vacant yard and housed some temporary structures such as sheds and stabling, but the sloping nature of the site was not well suited for this use.

The site remained vacant, save for temporary structures until 1928, when the Sydney Harbour Trust constructed the existing shop and residence. The building was used as a shop and residence from its date of construction until December 2011.

The enclosed verandah to the rear of the building at ground floor level was added in 1937.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Worker's Dwellings-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The building is associated with the Sydney Harbour Trust (later Maritime Services Board)and the resumptions and building works undertaken by them following the outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1901. The building embodies the historical development of the area under the control of the Sydney Harbour Trust.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	A fine example of an Inter-war Free classical style shop and residence, with early shopfront, which with its simple detailing and scale is well-integrated within its Victorian setting.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The building has been used as a local “corner store” continuously for 85 years since its construction in 1928 until its recent closure in December 2011, servicing the local Millers Point community. It was purposely designed and constructed as a shop with residence by the Sydney Harbour Trust to service and support the local community.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The building is a rare surviving, purposely designed and built Inter-War Period shop and residence located in the Millers Point precinct.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The building is representative example of an Inter-war Free classical style shop and residence, and the style of buildings constructed in the Millers Point area by the Sydney Harbour Trust during the Inter-War Period.
Integrity/Intactness:	High
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

The building should be retained and conserved. All conservation, adaptive reuse and future development should be undertaken in accordance with the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance (The Burra Charter). A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement, or a Conservation Management Plan, should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. There shall be no alterations to the façade of the building other than to reinstate original features. Any additions and alterations should be confined to the areas of less significance, should not be visibly prominent and shall be in accordance with the relevant planning controls. The principal room layout and planning configuration as well as significant internal original features including ceilings, cornices, joinery, flooring and fireplaces should be retained and conserved. Any additions and alterations should be confined to the rear in areas of less significance, should not be visibly prominent and shall be in accordance with the relevant planning controls.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012	I564	14 Dec 12

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City	View detail
Written	Christina Amiet, Graham Brooks and Associates Pty Ltd	2002	75-77 & 79 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point : heritage impact assessment /
Written	Kate Mountstephens	2014	Statement of Heritage Impact - 75-77 Lower Fort Street, Dawe Point
Written	Tropman and Tropman Architects	2012	75-77 Lower Fort Street Millers Point- Conservation Management Plan

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2423634

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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