63 Rose Street, Wooloowin

While some development followed the railway line, a Wooloowin Progress Association, was formed in 1911 to stimulate further suburban development. The coming of the trams in 1914 and attendant opening of the Wooloowin primary school saw the area develop as home to a suburban middle class. A shopping precinct in Kedron Park Rd provided facilities for further development and a number of interwar houses on large allotments established alongside older colonials.1

By 1936 Rose Street was lined with numerous larger houses on generous lots with this low-lying lot remaining vacant. The thirty-two perch (808 m2) was purchased by Mabel Springfield, spinster in 1920 and transferred to Winifred Teresa Springfield, wife of Frank Springfield in 1937. Winifred and Frank Springfield lived in George St Wooloowin and had a house built on this lot which was completed in January 1938. Frank Springfield was a plumber and a tradesman joining a street that was mostly made up of the rising numbers of office workers, clerks, banking officers and typists, as well as the joinery works of the Mewes family at no.79, with the Melrose family at no.55 being the owners of a successful northern Queensland masonry works.1

Designed in the increasingly popular Spanish Mission style, the house represents a departure from the traditional ‘timber and tin’ Queenslander housing to embrace the Spanish colonial architecture of the southern United States which was popularised through the influence of Hollywood in Australia. The houses used traditional timber construction with stuccoed walls to display a romantic evocative style. In this case, the Spanish Mission style has been influenced by Cape Dutch style incorporating sweeping Dutch gables and plainer, less intricate styling.

Winifred Teresa Springfield lived in the house until 1968 when a Filming Construction company held the title. In 1978 the land was transferred to the Mina Roads Department to plan for future road works or widening, but it was later sold by the department and is now in private hands.1

This well-designed house makes a striking contribution to the streetscape and has aesthetic qualities from all angles and elevations.

Wooloowin is located six kilometres north of Brisbane city centre and is primarily a residential suburb. Located in the north of the suburb, Rose Street, similar to the remainder of the suburb, is characterised by mostly highset, single-storey federation and interwar dwellings with some Mid-century infill. The generous treed and landscaped Melrose Park is located opposite the subject site. Rose Street is a high traffic street bordering Melrose Park, with kerbside parking. It is a tree-lined street with a variety of street trees in the grass verge, adjacent to the narrow concrete footpaths and concrete kerbing. Lots along the street are large rectangular sites with large backyards and some variation in setbacks from their front boundary.

The rectangular site is a medium sized lot facing north on Rose Street. The site slopes down, away from the street. The residence sits level with the street, elevated to the rear. The residence has a standard setback; the front yard is flat and open to the street retained with a concrete retaining wall to the west extending into low concrete plinth stepped wall over with piers to the ends. There is no front fence although the side retaining wall appears to have previously returned along the front boundary. The residence is located evenly between the side boundaries with a strip concrete driveway on the west leading down the slope to the rear of the site. Sloping grass and low-level shrubbery runs along the eastern boundary to the north with a chain-link fence to the rear and along the western boundary atop the block retaining wall. A tall timber batten fence runs along the rear boundary.

The front yard has a concrete path leading to the entry, an established tree, a younger tree, a shrub and unmaintained grass lawn. The yard to the rear is lawn only with the driveway circling into a simple carport.

The single storey Inter-War Spanish Mission residence is level with the street at the front, elevated to the rear. The sweeping form of the rendered facades show Cape Dutch style influences, yet the asymmetry of the facades, terracotta tiled roof and setback flat parapeted entrance are strong Spanish Mission indicators. The external walls are timber framed and have a heavily textured stucco finish. The roof is a gable roof with double decorative parapets to the front, single decorative parapet to the rear and a double gable to the eastern side, also with decorative parapets. Eaves are narrow, lined and concealed behind shaped by the eave brackets to the parapet. The entrance portico to the northeast corner appears to have a flat sheet metal roof, with lowset straight parapet walls with overhanging Spanish tile inset detail. All parapets have ornate moulding trim around the shaped upper edge outline and both front and rear parapets have a central motif.

A small porch leads to the entry, through a softly arched opening with label mould and lattice panel over rendered solid balustrade. The front elevation has two square bay windows with timber framed leadlight casement windows, timber sills and hipped tiled roof details. The eastern gable form also has a similarly detailed bay window. Windows generally are timber framed sets of casements with leadlight glazing and timber sills, with some obscure glass hopscotch windows to utility areas. Flat, sheet metal, timber bracketed awnings cover all non-bay windows.

The rear of the building has a small, enclosed landing to the southwest corner with lattice panels to the side of the rear external timber stair. A hipped tiled roof awning covers this area.

There is an additional level under the house, enclosed by a masonry retaining wall to the front, sloped retaining wall and timber battens to the west, both timber battens and solid sheet to the east and rear. This area has a concrete slab, restricted height and a combination of concrete and steel posts. There is a small, enclosed laundry and bathroom in the southwest corner and provision for car parking in the southeast. A simple flat roofed carport with slender timber posts has been added to the rear east of the residence.

The interiors of this residence have not been inspected. Publically available photography and plan layouts have been reviewed. Features throughout include timber floorboards, high ceilings, ornate trims and timber framed casement windows, often leadlight.

The solid timber entry door is accessed from the covered porch, leading to the central lounge and dining area featuring timber wall panelling, ornate leadlight double timber doors, timber floorboards, timber seat to bay window, detailed trims and ornate plaster ceilings. The kitchen to the rear appears original with narrow cabinets, panelled painted timber doors and feature leadlight overhead cabinetry. Bedrooms are open and light plastered walls, ornate plaster ceilings, detailed timber trims, high waisted timber panel doors with feature bay windows to two of the three bedrooms. Auxiliary rooms also include detailed trims, painted wall panelling and vertical jointed timber walls.

There is a simple flat metal sheet roofed carport with slender timber posts, attached to the rear of the residence. This carport appears to be a later addition. It is discreet, not visible from the street and aligns with the lower edge of the rear façade.

The subject building appears to be in fair condition and highly intact. General maintenance to the exterior is required, including cleaning, minor repairs and painting of rendered facades. The interior also appears to require some maintenance with some moisture issues in the bathroom and some peeling paint to the kitchen that may also be a result of previous water damage.

The residence appears to be highly intact both inside and outside. A simple carport has been added discreetly to the lower level at the rear of the building. Some concrete posts to the underside of the residence have been replaced with steel posts. The landing to the rear stair has also been enclosed with aluminium sliding windows above the solid balustrade. Internally, the bathroom appears to have previously been refitted with new fixtures and finishes. Carpet to the bedrooms appears to have been a later addition.

There does not appear to be any significant views from the residence. The striking parapets of the residence are visible from the street, though somewhat restricted behind the existing vegetation to the front of the house.

1. Brisbane City Council. Heritage Citation ‘Eboracum’ 55 Rose St Wooloowin

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

3. Brisbane City Council Water Supply & Sewerage Detail Plan 210

4. Queensland Post Office Directories

5. Queensland Certificates of Title and other records

6. Australian Electoral Rolls (via Ancestry.com)

7. Havig & Jackson – 63 Rose St Wooloowin realestate.com.au (May 2017) https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-qld-wooloowin-124600370 (accessed 17 July 2018)

8. Queensland Places. ‘Wooloowin’ http://www.queenslandplaces.com.au/wooloowin