Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Spanish Mission
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence
Merriwa
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Spanish Mission
World War I veteran and decorated officer, Frederick John Biggs married Bessie Pike in April 1929 and in the same year lodged the building application for this property. An engineering graduate, Biggs was at the time a workshop manager for Whatmore McIntosh Motors. The house, known as ‘Merriwa’, was built for £1600 by Chelmer builder CM Anderson, to a Mediterranean/Spanish Mission style by architect Bruce Lucas.
Lot plan
L2_RP45439; L1_RP45439
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Masonry - Stucco
People/associations
Bruce Lucas (Architect);C.M. Anderson of Chelmer (Builder)
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L2_RP45439; L1_RP45439
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Masonry - Stucco
People/associations
Bruce Lucas (Architect);C.M. Anderson of Chelmer (Builder)
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
History
In 1929 application was made for approval to build a £1600 house on the allotment for F.J. Biggs, c/o Whatmore McIntosh Motors (motor agents and importers). The architect was Bruce Lucas and the builder C.M. Anderson of Chelmer. Frederick J. Biggs was living here by 1933, remaining until after 1940.
Following training at Brisbane Central Technical College, and in London and Sydney, Frederick Bruce Lucas began his practice in Brisbane in 1927. Early in his career Lucas looked abroad for inspiration, exploring the popular Californian Bungalow, English Tudor and Spanish Mission styles. However, only three other houses in the Mediterranean/Spanish Mission style have been positively identified as the work of Bruce Lucas, in addition to this house. The house therefore is a relatively rare example of this style executed by Lucas during the few years he practised before the entering a partnership with Robert Cummings in 1936. Both Lucas and Cummings went on to be prominent post-war architects, particularly active in the professional organisation of architecture and architectural education in Queensland.
Statement of significance
Relevant assessment criteria
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the local heritage criteria under the Heritage planning scheme policy of the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It is significant because:
References
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Queensland Post Office Directories
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Queensland Electoral Rolls
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National Archive of Australia barcode 3081677
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Margaret Lawrence-Drew, Lucas and Cummings Architects, B.Arch. thesis, University of Queensland, 1986, pp. 5-11
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Donald Watson & Judith McKay, A directory of Queensland architects to 1940, University of Queensland Library, St Lucia, 1984, p. 129
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Brisbane City Council Building Register 1929
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Detail Plan, No. 887, n.d.
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Brisbane Courier, 1864-1933
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Courier Mail, 1933-1954
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)