DUPLEX, 15 COMMERCIAL STREET, South Fremantle WA 6162
DESCRIPTION
Heritage TitleDUPLEX, 15 COMMERCIAL STREETAddress15 Commercial Street SOUTH FREMANTLE WA 6162Geo tag[1] Heritage Place No27671Construction Commenced1904Construction MaterialRoof – METAL: Corrugated IronWall – BRICK: Rendered BrickFormer W.A. Heritage ThemesDEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY: Land allocation & subdivisionStatement Of SignificanceDuplex, 15 - 17 Commercial Street is a typical rendered brick and iron single storey duplex pair dating from the 1904. The place has aesthetic value for its contribution to the streetscape and the surrounding area. It is representative of the typical building stock located within the residential areas of South Fremantle. it is historically significant as a representation of typical workers' houses in the South Fremantle area.ArchaeologyConditionCondition assessed as good (assessed from streetscape survey only).HistoryIn the early 1900s, Sub Lot 35 of Town Lot 14/15 (later 15 and 17 Commercial Street) was a vacant lot owned by John Callan. Two cottages (a duplex) were built in 1903/04 and were occupied by William Trewlett, a cabman (then 35 Commercial Street; later 17 Commercial Street), and Donald Dungey, a grocer (then 33 Commercial Street; later 15 Commercial Street). In 1920/21, the property was owned by E J Martin and occupied by Edward Turnbull (#17) and John McIntyre (#15). The property changed hands several times over the coming decades and appears to have continued to be rental property. A diagram dated 1954 shows the duplexes at 15 and 17 Commercial Street as a mirror pair. The brick cottages both had full length front verandahs, shortened rear verandahs with galvanised iron laundries attached. In 1966, an application was made for a new bathroom and laundry for the duplex pair. The brick and corrugated iron building was valued at $3,000. The owners at the time were B M & P G Garbutt, who lived in Willagee. The following year, another application was made for new windows, a verandah and laundries. This place was identified by the Fremantle Society in 1979/80 as being of cultural heritage significance. (Coded: Brown: "Positively contributing to the built environment") It was also included in the "Heritage Study South Fremantle", prepared by John Taylor Architects, for the City of Fremantle, June 1993. A two storey timber addition to the rear was completed in the early 1990s at a cost of about $22,000. The toilet and laundry outbuildings were retained to form one side of the courtyard. Physical DescriptionDuplex, 15 - 17 Commercial Street is an attached duplex pair of single storey rendered masonry and iron houses. Roofs are hipped corrugated iron with dividing masonry parapet wall between visible through roof. Verandahs are under a separate corrugated iron hipped roof continuous across both duplexes and supported by rendered brick columns. The walls are rendered masonry. Each house has a single front door and a window to the front elevation. Each being of a single room and entry/passage width. There are small gardens to the front of each terrace house and a high level rendered masonry fence to the front boundary.AssociationPlace UseOriginal Use – RESIDENTIAL: Conjoined residenceOther Use – OTHER: OtherPresent Use – RESIDENTIAL: Conjoined residenceIntegrity/AuthenticityMedium degree of integrity (original intent partially clear, current use compatible, high long term sustainability). Medium degree of authenticity with some original fabric remaining. (These statements based on street survey only).Place TypeIndividual Building or Group
Statutory Heritage Areas
Statutory Heritage Area CustodianCity of FremantleStatutory Heritage Area South Fremantle Heritage AreaHeritage Area StatusContributoryHeritage Area InHerit Number22386Statutory Heritage Area Date14/10/2000
Local Government Statutory Heritage Listings
Local Government Statutory Listing CustodianCity of FremantleLocal Government Statutory Listing TypeHeritage ListLocal Government Statutory Listing StatusYesLocal Government Statutory Listing Date08/03/2007
Local Government Non-Statutory Local Heritage Survey
Local Government Non-Statutory Local Heritage Survey CustodianCity of FremantleLocal Government Non-Statutory Local Heritage Survey Date18/09/2000Local Government Non-Statutory Listing Local Heritage Survey Management CategoryLevel 3
PARENT PLACE
Parent Place No22386
RELATED
DUPLEX, 15 COMMERCIAL STREET, South Fremantle WA 6162. City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 06/04/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/36820