The Marich Buildings is a single two-storey building at the corner of
Henry and
High Streets in
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
, Western Australia, and dates from c1897; there were several single-storey shops on the site including one occupied by butchers Henry Albert & Co.
The earliest building recorded on this site is the Royal Hotel in 1844. Prior to 1884 there was a single-storey stone shop/residence on High Street frontage; there was also a stone building of similar vintage constructed fronting onto Henry Street. The site was redeveloped with shops and rooms at the ground floor level and offices on the first floor. The two-storey building is constructed of stone and the upper floor has arched
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
architrave
In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns.
The term can ...
s around the windows, stuccoed
pilaster
In classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s and a balustrade
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
. The building were also known as the Rialto Chambers for a number of years.
The Brockman family owned the property from 1880 until 1948/49 when it was bought by Nicholas Marich, after whom the building is named. Nicholas (Nikola) Marich migrated to Western Australia from Yugoslavia in 1909,
working in
Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
on his uncle's fresh water condensor and at nights washing dishes in hotels and restaurants.
Marich put himself through
night school
A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates.
Italy
The Scuola ...
learning to speak English proficiently. In 1917 he enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force, serving in the
11th Infantry Battalion during World War I. Upon his return from the war Marich settled in
Spearwood, establishing a vineyard and supplying wine to fellow settlers in the area.
Marich also worked as a court translator and was the first
Yugoslav consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
for Western Australia,
a position he held from 1930 until 1944.
The building remained in the Marich family until 1991.
In 1994 alterations to the building were carried out by Ralph Hoare Architect.
In 1999 the owners, Dunross Enterprises Pty Ltd, were awarded a $15,000 grant to fund a conservation plan of the building. In 2006 the City of Fremantle refused an application by Dunross Enterprises to develop a 5-storey hotel/apartment complex behind the Marich Buildings. A subsequent appeal to the State Administrative Tribunal was dismissed with the Tribunal concluding that in "an area of such high heritage value, a cautious approach was required", and that the 5th level and two-storey balconies were "not acceptable".
Heritage value
The building was classified by the
National Trust of Australia (WA)
The National Trust of Western Australia, officially the National Trust of Australia (W.A.), is a statutory authority that delivers heritage services, including conservation and interpretation, on behalf of the Western Australian government and co ...
on 1 May 1974 and was placed on the
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...
on 21 March 1978.
It is also listed on the
City of Fremantle
The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district.
History
The City of Fremantle is named after Charles Frem ...
's municipal heritage list.
The basis for the listing is that the building is a substantially intact example of a commercial building, dating from the gold boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, which contributes to the very significant Old Port City of Fremantle.
Further reading
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References
{{reflist
Henry Street, Fremantle
High Street, Fremantle
State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Fremantle