68 Roden Street

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The first stage of this property’s development was Robert Dalton, of Margaret Street South Yarra, building a three room cottage here in 1870 for teacher Peter Madden. By 1890 Madden’s house had expanded to seven rooms and the annual City of Melbourne valuation nearly doubled indicating that the present house was built then.
Madden taught at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic school in West Melbourne since 1869, joining the State School system in the mid 1870s when State aid for religious schools was withdrawn. By the 1890s, Madden had achieved 17th rank seniority in the Victorian State School system, by then a teacher at Footscray. Madden and the well known head teacher and local historian,
Albert Mattingly, were regarded highly within North and West Melbourne: `…most of the youth of North and West Melbourne since the 50’s were handled by them, and mentally shod for the world’s rough usage’. Madden died in 1912 `…on his way from the old country to Melbourne, and was buried in the Atlantic’. His wife Mary, had died at this house in 1893.

Contributory elements include:

• two storey parapeted brick and cemented row house;
• two colour brickwork with deep brown or black body and cream trim at openings;
• cemented cornice moulds, masks and brackets, guilloche pattern balustrading;
• a distinctive Baroque style raised entablature, with swag, broken pediment and orbs;
• face red brick side and rear walls;
• pitched roof behind the parapet, with cemented and corniced chimneys;
• two storey cast-iron verandah with Corinthian derived column order, cast-iron frieze and integral brackets;
• double-hung sash windows, with an uncommon two light configuration at ground floor with stop-chamfering (see also 70);
• four-panel entry door and toplight; and
• contribution to valuable Victorian-era streetscape.

Integrity is good despite an added reproduction cast-iron palisade front fence on dressed stone footings; some missing details; and French doors on upper level may be modifications.

How is it significant?
Peter Madden’s house is significant historically and aesthetically to West Melbourne.

Why is it significant?
Peter Madden’s house is significant.

• Historically, for the close link with Peter Madden, one of the area’s best known figures, and representative of a major growth period (Victorian-era) in West Melbourne; and
• Aesthetically, a well-preserved row house with distinctive Baroque style detailing also contributory to a valuable Victorian-era streetscape.

source: West Melbourne Heritage Review by Graeme Butler & Associates, 2015