Addresses

At 58 Grove Street, Albion, Queensland 4010

Type of place

Cottage, House

Period

Victorian 1860-1890

Style

Queenslander

This is an image of the local heritage place known as Early Cottage

58 Grove Street, Albion

58 Grove Street, Albion Download Citation (pdf, 40.05 KB)

Addresses

At 58 Grove Street, Albion, Queensland 4010

Type of place

Cottage, House

Period

Victorian 1860-1890

Style

Queenslander

This cottage was built circa 1888 for George Knox as a speculative development designed to benefit from its locality to busy Albion Station. As an 1880s timber and tin worker’s cottage, it represents the second stage of Albion’s development which occurred after the arrival of the railway in 1882.

Lot plan

L105_SP125993

Key dates

Local Heritage Place Since —

Date of Citation —

Construction

Roof: Corrugated iron;
Walls: Timber

Criterion for listing

(A) Historical; (D) Representative

Interactive mapping

City Plan Interactive Mapping

Lot plan

L105_SP125993

Key dates

Local Heritage Place Since —

Date of Citation —

Construction

Roof: Corrugated iron;
Walls: Timber

Criterion for listing

(A) Historical; (D) Representative

Interactive mapping

City Plan Interactive Mapping

History

While Albion had initially been a semi-rural area dotted with grand houses, the coming of the railway in 1882 saw the urbanisation of the area, which was largely populated by Scottish migrants.  In 1885, rail duplication work began from Albion to Eagle Junction stations to meet the demands of the railway branching off to Doomben which resulted in Albion becoming more attractive for residential development. By the late 1880s and early 1890s Albion was one of a number of prosperous suburban centres that had arisen in response to the expansion of Brisbane from its former small city core.

Grove, Terrace, Wakefield and Bale Streets initially formed part of the ‘Albion Station Estate’ even though Grove Street was initially listed in the Breakfast Creek district. This timber and tin worker’s cottage was constructed circa 1888 for George Knox as a rental investment, and was likely tenanted by upholsterer Anton Kruger from 1889. In 1890, auctioneer and land developer Archibald McNish Fraser purchased the house and continued to use it as a rental property.

Archibald McNish Fraser was a prominent builder and real estate agent, operating his Onward Auction Mart from offices located in the Brisbane Town Hall, in Queen Street. He arrived in Brisbane from Argylshire, Scotland in 1880 and worked as a builder before he expanded into real estate and established the Onward Auction Mart and the Onward Real Property Mart in 1887. In 1888, the Aldine History of Queensland enthused over McNish Fraser’s role as a Brisbane success story by stating ‘…It is with pride the city looks upon the prosperity of many such young men’.1 McNish Fraser was already familiar with Albion as he had built his new family residence ‘Dunaverty’ in Birkbeck Street in 1887 and he had lived in Albion since 1882. 

After renting the cottage for almost 15 years, Anton Kruger purchased 58 Grove Street in 1902. Kruger possibly had an arrangement with McNish Fraser that he would be a long-term tenant with the aim of eventually buying the property from his landlord. But Queensland was gripped by an economic depression during the 1890s and this may explain why it took Anton Kruger 14 years to purchase his home outright. The house has since been owned by numerous people. 

While many similar cottages were constructed in Albion during the nineteenth century, many have been demolished or removed to make way for new development.

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

  1. Environmental Protection Agency, Carvarmore 21 Birbeck Street, Albion citation, (Brisbane: Qld Government, 24 January 2005), P.1

  2. 1985 ‘Albion – Of Gracious Homes and Bartley’s Folly’, The Telegraph, 11 February

  3. 1929 ‘Albion – Of Scottish Descent’, The Sunday Mail, 10 March

  4. 1873 ‘Classifieds Section’, The Brisbane Courier, 18 January

  5. Brisbane City Council Properties on the Web

  6. Brisbane City Council, 1946, 2001 & 2005 aerial photographs

  7. Certificates of Title, Department of Natural Resources and Water

  8. Environmental Protection Agency, Carvarmore 21 Birbeck Street, Albion citation, (Brisbane: Qld Government, 24 January 2005)

  9. Kerr, John 1988, Brunswick Street, Bowen Hills and Beyond: The Railways of the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane, Australian Railway Historical Society

  10. Queensland Post Office Directories, 1868-1949

  11. Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Survey Map

  12. Watson, Donald and Judith McKay. A Directory of Queensland Architects to 1940. (St. Lucia: U of Q Press, 1984)


Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)

Victorian 1860-1890
Queenslander
Cottage
House
At 58 Grove Street, Albion, Queensland 4010
At 58 Grove Street, Albion, Queensland 4010 L105_SP125993
Historical, Representative