Shawn

Hardgrave had a residence erected on each of his blocks that is 172 and 168 Petrie Terrace. A third residence was built at the back of Subdivision 3 (168 Petrie Terrace), which became 13 Pratten Street. He was able to obtain a mortgage on Subdivision 3, which had two-street frontage on 9 March 1898. He received a loan of ₤200 from the Bank of North Queensland. Hardgrave died on 8 November 1906 and his estate passed to his widow Margaret Lydia Hardgrave. On 13 October 1925, Annie Patterson Wiman, wife of Charles Oscar Wiman, became the new owner of the property at 172 Petrie Terrace. A succession of owners followed over the next few years. The property was transferred to spinster Ada Elizabeth May Billings on 24 October 1927. A journalist, Randolph Bedford took control of the property on 7 May 1930. On 15 April 1931, Harold Manuel Wheller, Samuel Cooper, Arthur Lowan Evans, and Ralph Moreton White, who acted as trustees for the Methodist Church, acquired the site. William Melbourne Watts bought the property on 11 January 1933.

On 15 February 1934, a widow, Margaret Mary Murphy bought the land containing the three old houses built for John Hardgrave. The site had potential for redevelopment as it was across from to the Petrie Terrace tramline, which connected to the Red Hill, Kelvin Grove, Milton Road and City tramlines. The block also afforded car access to both Pratten Street and Petrie Terrace. The location was within close proximity to the Caxton Street shops and it was within walking distance of Roma Street Station and the City. Thus Margaret Murphy decided to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with a single block of flats.

Her building was part of a process that saw the reinvention of Petrie Terrace as a fashionable address. By the 1930s, Petrie Terrace had become a run-down area that contained a granary, tram substation and a number of old flats that had been built as terrace houses during the period 1863 to 1888. The new brick flats built at the corner of Pratten Street and another later block at the corner of Mountjoy Street represented the second wave of inner-city apartment development along Petrie Terrace.   

Margaret Murphy contracted builder Syd Noyes, of Peary Street, Northgate to construct the flats with garages on her Petrie Terrace land. He was to erect a brick, two-storey building housing eight apartments, plus a garage housing eight cars in Pratten Street and a single shared laundry. On 29 June 1935, Noyes provided a building quote for ₤4,082.1.10 for the cost of this work. The final cost for the building came to ₤4,050.14.0.

Built of brick, the building incorporated elements of the Mock Tudor architectural style that was popular during the interwar period. Another example of this style is the timber building ‘Vailima Flats’ situated at 8 Union Street, Spring Hill. Few examples of the brick flats incorporating “Mock Tudor” style elements remain in Brisbane. ‘Shawn’ was a stylish residence that featured a circular internal staircase, electric doorbells, a card holder on the door of each flat and a side entrance at Pratten Street that provided quick access to the garage.  

The block of flats is first listed as being occupied in the 1936 edition of the Queensland Post Office Directories. As the information contained in these directories were compiled in the year prior to publication then ‘Shawn’ must have been completed in 1935. The 1936 listing simply identified Margaret Murphy’s building as “Flats” located at 174 Petrie Terrace. It was not until the 1938 edition that the name ‘Shawn’ was applied to the building. The origins of the name are unknown but it may be associated with a member of Margaret Murphy’s family.

Every two years, Margaret Murphy would apply to the Brisbane City Council for the re-registration of “Shawn” as flats. Council permission was granted on 1 February 1950, 31 December 1952, 31 December 1954 and 31 December 1956. 

On 11 April 1956, the title to ‘Shawn’ was divided into three shares between Margaret Murphy’s daughters. It was passed to Margaret Ellen Joyce Maguire, the wife of Andrew Halley Maguire, and to Patricia Ellen Edwards, the wife of Geoffrey Cooper Edwards, and to Kathleen Patricia Delahunty, the wife of James Joseph Delahunty. After Margaret Maguire’s death on 27 July 1972, her husband Andrew, together with Thomas McCormack were appointed the trustees of Margaret’s share of ‘Shawn’. On 8 July 1974, Kathleen Delahunty and the widow Patricia Edwards took back control of Margaret Maguire’s share. After Kathleen’s death, her half-share of ‘Shawn’ passed to Jennifer Margaret Parer and Terence Gerard Parer.

The building, of eclectic design, contains elements from a variety of inter-war styles. Its prominent large tiled roof and exposed rafter ends are Inter-war California Bungalow elements while its imitation half-timbering at the front and rear indicate an Inter-war Old English (Mock-Tudor) influence and the Tuscan columns at either sides of the entry give it a touch of Mediterranean style.

Notwithstanding the combination of styles the building presents its own original identity, suggesting the cleverness and design skills of an architect designed building.

The building, which stands back from the street, has what appears to be an original masonry low fence at the front and side boundaries.

This is a good quality design, fairly intact, purpose-built structure, continuously used as apartments since its construction in 1936.

1. Brisbane City Council, Properties on the Web, website

2. Brisbane City Council, 1946 aerial photographs.

3. Brisbane City Council’s Central Library, local history sheets

4. Department of Natural Resources, Queensland Certificates of title and other records.

5. John Oxley Library, Brisbane Suburbs – Estate Maps

6. Noyes, Syd, Statement of Account, 19 June 1935

7. Queensland Post Office Directories, 1868-1949