Astrea is a heritage-listed

duplex (building) A duplex house plan has two living units attached to each other, either next to each other as townhouses, condominiums or above each other like apartments. By contrast, a building comprising two attached units on two distinct properties is t ...

at 19 Bank Street, West End,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It was built for Fedder Jensen. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

Astrea, a two-storeyed timber building, was constructed as a pair of semi-detached houses. The architect may have been

John Ibler John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, who in February 1888 called tenders for a pair of semi-detached brick and wood residences in Bank Street. They were erected for Fedder Jensen as an investment, and rented to white collar tenants. These included his son Magnus Jensen, a solicitor and

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council: * 1860–1869 * 1870–1879 * 1880–1889 * 1890–1899 *1900–1909 The 1900s may refer to: * 1900s (decade), the decade from 1900 to 1909 * The century from 1900 to 1999, al ...

1904-15, who is first listed in the post office directories as resident on the east side of Bank Street in 1888. In 1909 the building was sold to Thomas and Harriet Walters, who converted it into a single residence, and possibly gave it the name Astrea. After falling into a state of disrepair Astrea was sold in 1981 and refurbished as a pair of semi-detached houses.

Description

Astrea is a pair of two-storeyed semi-detached timber houses. A double-storeyed verandah runs across the front of the building. This is ornately decorated with cast-iron valances, posts,

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

and

baluster A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its cons ...

s. The building has a single hipped roof in corrugated iron. The separate identity of each house is highlighted by a small

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

at either end of the top verandah, each with an intricate fretwork

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

. These are supported by double

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

s which continue down to the lower level and flank the entry on the ground floor. Leadlight fan and

sidelight A sidelight or sidelite in a building is a window, usually with a vertical emphasis, that flanks a door or a larger window. Sidelights are narrow, usually stationary and found immediately adjacent doorways.Barr, Peter.Illustrated Glossary, 19th ...

s surround the cedar panelled front doors. The internal joinery is also cedar. During the conversion to a house, the brick party wall was opened and one staircase was removed. Recent refurbishment has included the replacement of these features as well as double-storeyed additions at the rear.

Heritage listing

Astrea was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. Astrea at West End, erected , is significant as a rare Brisbane example of a pair of semi-detached timber houses built in the late 19th century, and as an example of a speculative multiple housing venture of the 1880s boom period. They are important also in illustrating the development of West End in the years prior to the floods of 1890 and 1893. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. Astrea at West End, erected , is significant as a rare Brisbane example of a pair of semi-detached timber houses built in the late 19th century, and as an example of a speculative multiple housing venture of the 1880s boom period. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. Astrea at West End, erected , is significant as a rare Brisbane example of a pair of semi-detached timber houses built in the late 19th century, and as an example of a speculative multiple housing venture of the 1880s boom period. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. Astrea has considerable aesthetic appeal, and contributes significantly to the historic West End townscape.

References

Attribution

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Astrea, West End Queensland Heritage Register Heritage of Brisbane West End, Queensland Houses in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register