Heritage Houses of New Junction 22 Keane Street

Council, at its meeting of 03 August 2022 resolved to include 35 new properties into the Local Heritage Survey. This included 9 properties within the New Junction precinct.

History

In 1886, the Midland Railway Company took up significant landholdings in the area and established its operations to build a railway north to Geraldton. The townsite of Midland Junction was gazetted in 1890 and private investor James Morrison, subdivided and sold large parcels of land to new settlers.  With gold discoveries in the mid 1890s, Midland Junction became a hub of the state road and rail system and was a logical site for the government railway workshops which relocated there in 1904.

This portion of Keane Street was formally subdivided in 1912 but homes had been constructed prior to this date.  Keane Street was named in honour of Edward Vivian Harvey Keane, civil engineer for the Midland Railway Company. This house was previously designated as 6 Keane Street.

From research supplied by local historians and readily available information, this residence was built in 1907.  Given the similarity of form and remaining detail it is probable this residence and the two adjacent at 20 and 24 Keane Street were constructed at the same time by the same builder as a small scale property development.  This was not an unusual practice in metropolitan Perth in the early 20th century.  It is probable the houses were originally face brick on the external facades with red corrugated iron roofs. No detail of the builder or architect has been found in this research.

The first occupant was grocer Josiah Ellis who had travelled from Victoria to join his brother in his grocery business.  He lived in this house for two years before moving on and the place was occupied by a series of occupants who stayed for short periods until the 1920s.  This pattern of occupancy suggests the place was owned by an absentee landlord.

During the 1930s and 1940s, a long term tenant was Swiss born baker Werner Weber (c1900-1988) and his wife Nancy Hannah, nee Robinson (c1904-1983) who married in 1929.  The couple lived in this house until the early 1950s.

A survey of the property prepared in 1939 for the purpose of planning water and sewerage services and aerial photographs since the mid 20th century indicate the place has changed minimally since that time. The most significant modification is the skillion roofed addition which has extended during the early 1960s.

Statement of Significance:

The place has some aesthetic value for the remaining form of a modest Federation era house.

The place has historic value for its association with the establishment and development of Midland in the early 20th century.

This place and the adjacent houses at 20 and 24 Keane Street have historic value for their association with small scale development which was common in the early 20th century.

The place has social value as a demonstration of the form and scale of housing for working families in the early 20th century.

Management Category:  Category 4 Limited significance

This is an extract from the Local Heritage Survey Place Record Form.  For the full Place Record Form  please visit www.newjunction.com.au/about/heritagehousesof newjunction