Perth 174-176 Brisbane Street

The duplex building at 174–176 Brisbane Street is a matching pair of two-storey, semi-detached terrace houses constructed in 1908.

The terraces were originally part of a bigger property extending from Brisbane Street to Amy Street. Beside the residences, at No. 172, was a large area filled with grass, shrubs and several trees, which was very likely once maintained as a fruit and vegetable garden.

At No. 170 was a two-storey workshop and store. Old materials and equipment were kept on the upper floor, while a small repair business with Greek signage operated at street level. The building was later demolished and the former garden area cleared as part of the property’s redevelopment.

Construction and early history

Charleston appears to have been the name of the residence at 176 Brisbane Street from 1908. Although no early reference to No. 174 has been found before 1918 as a separate residence, the matching semi-detached terraces appear to have been constructed together at the same time.

Further advertisements confirm that both houses were occupied by the middle of 1908. On 21 June, someone at No. 176 advertised for a broody hen or offered to exchange sitting Buff Orpington hens. On 25 July, a nicely furnished bedroom with every convenience was offered at No. 174 for a gentleman or woman in employment.

Later advertisements described Nos. 174 and 176 as a pair of semi-detached cottages. Although the word “cottage” is now generally associated with a small single-storey house, it was also commonly used for compact terrace and semi-detached residences.

Property databases list the terraces as having been constructed in 1920 or 1940. Both dates are contradicted by the 1908 newspaper and directory records. Advertisements from 1940 and 1941 show that renovations were carried out around that time, which may explain why 1940 was later entered as a construction date.

October 2020

174 Brisbane Street

1908-1980 - Constructed and occupied
1909-1917 - No listing located
1918-1923 - Thomas Daniell (artist)
1924-1924 - Mrs Bucke (music teacher)
1925-1926 - Patrick Francis Cahill
1927-1927 - Claude Carrington Townsend (served in both World Wars)
1928-1931 - Edward Meyer (labourer)
1930-1930 - Rose McManus
1932-1957+ - Albert Charles King (licensed marine store collector) & Lily Victoria King

176 Brisbane Street

1908-1908 - Constructed and occupied
1909-1909 - Thomas Adolphus Cottman (accountant)
1910-1916 – Phineas ‘Percy’ Masel (merchant & pawnbroker)
1917-1917 - Saul Hartstein (marine dealer)
1918-1919 - Robert Hazelbloom
1920-1920 - Harold John Goodin Pidcock (storekeeper)
1921-1931 - Samuel Henry Somers (carpenter)
1932-1932 - Daisy Ethel Halliday
1933-1933 - Vacant
1934-1935 - Baker Laurence/Lawrence (SEC linesman)
1936-1937 - George Frederick Mantell (café proprietor and fruiterer)
1938-1938 - Saul Hartstein (marine dealer)
1938-1941 - Sisto Tesser (service station attendant)
1942-1949+ - Effie Donovan
1948-1948 - Albert Charles Woolcock (died at his residence)

October 2020

Domestic life at No. 176

Several advertisements provide a glimpse of life inside No. 176 during the 1910s:

11 October 1915, a respectable girl was wanted to assist with housework for a family of four with no babies.

The household again advertised for domestic assistance several times during 1917:

On 19 January, a girl or woman was wanted to help with housework for 13 shillings a week.
On 13 February, a girl was wanted to assist with housework.
On 17 April, a girl or woman was again wanted.
On 24 May, a middle-aged woman was sought for general housework.

Early property sales

On 17 October 1919, Ashendon and Company announced that it had received instructions to sell Nos. 174 and 176. The property was described as a pair of semi-detached cottages, each containing four rooms.

The pair was offered again in December 1920 under instructions from an absentee owner. This advertisement described them as semi-detached brick and weatherboard cottages, each containing four rooms and all conveniences. The land was recorded as extending through to Amy Street.

In February 1928, Ruby Isabel ‘Isabella’ Pearmine sold the combined 174–176 Brisbane Street property.

Rooms, boarders and workshops

Rooms and portions of the residences were frequently offered separately.

In August 1924, No. 174 was advertised to let, on the condition that the incoming tenant purchase some of the furniture. The following month, half the house was offered with electric lighting and other conveniences.

In January 1925, a superior furnished front room at No. 174 was advertised as suitable for two friends, with board available if required. In August 1926, a garage at the property was advertised as being suitable for conversion into a good workshop.

February 2021

No. 176 during the 1930s

In August 1936, Herbert Edward Wells and Son advertised a sale of furniture and household effects at No. 176.

Shortly afterwards, two unfurnished front rooms with gas and other conveniences were offered to let. A further advertisement in September offered an unfurnished front room, while another in December advertised three rooms and a kitchen for 20 shillings a week.

Renovation and sale during the 1940s

In October 1940, estate agent Percy Cyril Kerr advertised four rooms at No. 176 for rent at £1 a week.

By June 1941, the same agent was advertising four renovated rooms at the address for 20 shillings a week. On 21 August, he offered the entire property for sale by public auction at the Western Australian Trustee Buildings in St Georges Terrace.

The property was described as Lot 15 on Plan 384, with a frontage of 33 feet and a depth of 132 feet extending through to Amy Street. The pair of semi-detached cottages was described as being mostly constructed of brick. Each contained three rooms and a kitchen, bathroom, laundry and other facilities.

The two residences were producing a combined rental of £1 and 18 shillings a week.

A separate advertisement published the previous day offered garden plants, a fruit barrow and a medium draught mare with its collar for sale at No. 174. The horse was priced at £10.

In January 1948, the double front room at No. 176 was advertised to let. A furnished double room was offered again that March.

September 2022

Later family occupation and vacancy

Three envelopes found inside the duplex were addressed to three different members of the same family.

Records located at the time showed that one woman died in 1981 aged 78 and one man died in 2002 aged 66. No confirmed death record was found for the third person.

The houses later became vacant and there were signs that squatters had stayed there. By 2022, the project architects publicly described the terraces as having been unoccupied and vandalised for many years.

Drachma Developments

By the time the terraces were refurbished and separately sold, both were owned by Drachma Developments WA Pty Ltd. The company was registered on 30 June 2021 and was connected with several addresses forming the redevelopment site, including 170 and 172 Brisbane Street and 21–25 Amy Street. Company searches also identified the related name The Trustee for Drachma Developments Unit Trust.

The original 2022 development proposal was publicly reported as being submitted for property owners Alexandra Farsalas and Aikaterini Katsavounidis.

Demolition and redevelopment

A demolition permit covering 170-180 Brisbane Street was approved by the City of Vincent on 13 April 2022. The work was valued at $33,500 and included the removal of the former workshop and store at No. 170. The terraces at Nos. 174 and 176 were retained.

A development application was lodged for the site under references DAP/22/02170 and 5.2022.14.1. It proposed ten grouped dwellings across Lots 14-16 at 170-180 Brisbane Street.

The proposal consisted of:

Retaining and renovating the two terrace houses at Nos. 174 and 176.
Constructing eight new three-storey residences: three facing Brisbane Street and five facing Amy Street.
Roof terraces and tandem garages for the new homes.
Retaining the existing terraces at two storeys.

The City’s records describe the proposal as a JDAP Form 1 application, which is the standard form used when a new development application is to be determined by a Joint Development Assessment Panel rather than solely decided by the local council.

Perth 176 Brisbane Street

Development plans deferred

On 16 June 2022, it was reported that the Metro Inner North Joint Development Assessment Panel had deferred the proposal for up to 120 days.

The development team said that retaining and restoring the two terraces would improve the Brisbane Street streetscape and protect the buildings after many years of vacancy and vandalism. The three new Brisbane Street residences were intended as a modern version of the terrace-house form while remaining distinguishable from the original buildings.

Panel members requested further consideration of the development’s relationship with Brisbane Street, particularly the visual dominance of the garage doors. They also asked for the Brisbane Street façades and the relationship between the retained terraces and the proposed houses to be reviewed.

The City of Vincent received 21 submissions during public consultation:

Two supported the proposal.
Sixteen opposed it.
Three did not formally support or oppose it but raised concerns.

Concerns included the number and appearance of garage doors along Brisbane Street and whether the three-storey homes would suit a surrounding streetscape containing many older single-storey cottages.

The plans were amended after the applicant received a summary of the public submissions. However, the final amended plans were not advertised to the community again before being returned to the panel.

Development approved

The revised application was approved by the Joint Development Assessment Panel on 28 September 2022.

The project was publicly reported in June as a $5.5 million development. However, the City of Vincent’s September 2022 register recorded an estimated development value of $11 million. The available records do not explain the difference, although the figures may have been prepared at different stages of the application or based on revised costs.

Refurbishment

The two terraces were extensively refurbished and returned to residential use by 2024. The work retained their matching two-storey façades while upgrading the interiors for modern residential use. The sales campaign for No. 176 identified surviving or recreated character features including:

High ceilings
Timber floorboards
Sash windows
Decorative cornices
Tall skirting boards
An internal archway
Fireplaces
The upper-floor balcony

Each terrace was converted into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence.

Later sales

174 Brisbane Street

Drachma Developments WA Pty Ltd sold 174 Brisbane Street on 31 May 2024 for $1.18 million. It was leased for $1,000 a week in December 2024.

The property sold again in October 2025 for $1.4 million. It was again advertised for lease at $1,000 a week in December 2025.

176 Brisbane Street

Drachma Developments WA Pty Ltd sold 176 Brisbane Street on 30 May 2024 for $1.215 million. It sold again in August 2025 for $1.3 million.

Current condition

The terraces have both been restored, sold into separate private ownership and returned to residential use.

The old workshop and store at No. 170 has been demolished, while the former garden and open land at No. 172 has been cleared. Construction of the additional residences approved for 170-180 Brisbane Street and Amy Street site is in progress.

Perth 174 Brisbane Street

Duplexes

Urbex Home