Repton

‘Repton’ and its neighbour, Osmaston, were built at a time when purpose built flats were becoming a common and fashionable feature of New Farm. Contributing factors to this wave of a new type of development included a growth in Brisbane’s population, a housing shortage which increased demand for accommodation and changing attitudes to different types of housing. The conversion of large houses into flats had already emerged in Brisbane and other Australian cities during the 1910s, amid concerns about morality, the rise of slums and the suitability of flat living for families. However, there was growing recognition that flats of high quality could provide an answer to Brisbane’s need for increased accommodation, particular for “bachelors” and single, working women. For those with the necessary skills and finances, the construction of purpose built flats could be a lucrative investment. 

New Farm was divided by the Crown into large portions of land and sold during the early days of free settlement in the 1840s. Much of the land was purchased by investors and those wealthy residents with the means to establish fine homes on large estates. From the 1880s, another wave of development saw these estates gradually carved up for housing developments – usually “villas” on generous allotments. A third wave of residential development occurred in New Farm during the interwar years as further subdivisions occurred and fashionable, high quality homes and blocks of flats were built.

The area of New Farm to the south of the major thoroughfare of Brunswick Street was a prestigious locality (formerly home to ‘Merthyr’, the estate of successful politician, Sir Charles Griffiths) with tree lined streets and elegant houses. In 1907, Gustave Gottlieb Muller acquired seven allotments (measuring over 120 perches) between Brunswick Street and Lower Bowen Terrace. Three of these were later transferred to Albert George Silvester in November 1934. No evidence has been found to date of any buildings on the site at this time. The land is shown as vacant in a 1925 Brisbane City Council plan although most of |Lower Bowen Terrace was occupied by substantial houses with generous grounds.

Silvester, a former photographer, subdivided the property in half in May 1935 and constructed two masonry blocks of flats – ‘Repton’ at 600 Lower Bowen Terrace and ‘Osmaston’ at 598 Lower Bowen Terrace. Electoral rolls indicate that Silvester was living in ‘Repton by 1936. He retained ownership of ‘Repton’ until 1943 when the title was transferred to Charles Freeleagus. While the two buildings are of similar scale and type and share a common front boundary wall of rendered and face brick, they differ in their use of materials, details and number of storeys and flats. Both buildings have exterior staircases at the rear.

It is likely that a building of this quality was architect designed. No conclusive evidence has been found of an architect for ‘Repton’, however a tender notice for Brisbane architect, C.E. Plant for two flat buildings at New Farm in 1935 suggest Silvester may have commissioned Plant to design both ‘Repton’ and ‘Osmaston’.

Both ‘Repton’ and the neighouring ‘Osmaston’ were similar to many of the fashionable, purpose built flats being built in New Farm and other inner city suburbs such as West End and Ascot/Clayfield during the interwar period. These buildings were usually masonry, (or a combination of masonry, timber and fibrous cement) single blocks of six to eight flats on two or three stories. They were often architect designed in the latest styles such as Spanish Mission, Art Deco, and Mediterranean and featured ornate interiors with leadlight windows, decorative plaster ceilings and extensive timber joinery such as plate rails, doors and window seats. The latest flats also usually featured modern conveniences such as incinerators, built in kitchens and bathrooms, garbage shutes, garages, telephones and hot water systems. 

‘Repton’ changed hands several times in the decades following World War II and has more recently been strata titled.

This restrained Art Deco building is of brick masonry construction, with a symmetrical front façade. It features a central red face brick portion flanked on either side by stepped, stuccoed sections. The face brick walls have horizontal, stucco banding which continues around the building. ‘Repton’ has a hipped tiled roof with wide eaves and exposed purlin detailing. A small, hipped roof extends over the central entrance way. 

A brick pathway leads through the stucco and brick front fence to the multi-paned, timber entrance doors. A cantilevered awning, with corbel supports, shelters the entrance. The building is clearly identified with “REPTON” in bold relief lettering to the entrance awning. This central portion of the front façade has double, multi-paned, leadlight casement windows. The flanking, stucco sections have banks of similar windows. All windows have face brick window sills.

The site slopes downwards from the street allowing a fourth storey at ground level at the rear. The rear of the building has an external fire escape staircase with small central landing for each flat. The landing on the top floor has been enclosed. A circular vertical pipe on the rear wall is likely to be the building’s garbage chute. The upper two floors at the rear are face brick with a horizontal stucco band and the lower two storeys are stuccoed. There is also a brick chimney at the rear of the building in the northern corner. The rear wall of the building has timber framed, multi-paned sliding windows.

The interior of the flats has not been inspected, however, available photographs reveal typical features of Interwar flats of this type, including timber floors, built in timber window seats and picture rails in the front bedroom, plate rails in some rooms, decorative plaster ceilings with an Art Deco geometric motif and extensive timber joinery. The foyer has a terrazzo floor and inbuilt timber mail niches.

A large, covered carport occupies much of the rear of the site. This is not considered to be of cultural significance.

1. Brisbane City Council Building Cards

2. Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland Certificates of Title

3. Queensland Post Office Directories

4. Digitised newspapers and other records. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

5. Bennett, Helen, Interpreting the Modern: flatland in Brisbane 1920-1941, PhD thesis, Griffith University, 2011

6. EHP. Queensland Heritage Register. Entry for Julius Street Flats, 601895. Retrieved 11 Dec 2017