Terrace

Statement of Significance

View spatial data in

Description

Assessed significance: State

Item type: Built

Current use: Serviced apartments

Former use: Residences

Group: Residential buildings (private)

Category: Terrace

Designer/Maker:

Builder/Maker:

Construction Years: 1870 - 0

Physical Description: 61-65 Harrington Street is a mid-Victorian terrace, built c.1870, of three houses of two storeys raised from the road on a stone wall. The brickwork has been painted. The group forms a complement to Nos 42-52 Harrington Street, almost directly opposite, with the same flattened arch decoration above the windows and doors. The window pattern varies in each house, twelve pane double hung being the most common. The steeply pitched roof is covered with corrugated iron. (National Trust 1978)Style: Mid Victorian Terrace; Storeys: Two; Facade: Brick; Roof Cladding: Iron (probably slate originally)

Property Description

Address

Historic Notes and Themes

Historical notes: The site formed part of the range of the Gadigal people that extended along the south side of Port Jackson from South Head to Darling Harbour. Most physical traces of this occupation have been obliterated during the removal of sandstone to create level building platforms and the erection of houses, shops, warehouses, bond stores and wharves. On European settlement in 1788 the area on the western side of Sydney Cove was used as the main convict encampment. The first hospital, erected between present day Harrington Street and George Street, and its grounds that extended to the vicinity of Cambridge Street, was one of the first areas of Sydney to be cleared and fenced, thus restricting access into the fenced area for activities not associated with the hospital use. Surrounding the hospital were extensive gardens where medicinal and other necessary plants were grown. Small houses were built on the slopes of The Rocks, beyond the fenced hospital garden, many by emancipated convicts. The early houses on the Rocks were built in lines known as 'rows', which followed the naturally occurring rock shelves and were accessed by tracks rather than formally laid out streets. Because of these small cliffs, houses were not initially built on the lower side of the street, as this would have necessitated building a more substantial house with a basement. The majority of the small scale cottages were modest single storey cottages built at or above the level of the access track. The western side of Harrington Street was one of these rows of largely residential buildings. By 1808 they were being sold, such as the 'weatherboarded, glazed and shingled' dwelling house sold in May 1808 and the weatherboard 'family residence' sold by William Hutchinson in June 1809. Both were simply referred to as being at the back of the hospital garden on the Rocks. Prior to 1809 the location was simply given as 'on the Rocks', giving no indication as to which of the various rows of cottage the premises that were for sale were located in. The advertisements also provide an indication of the buildings materials used, all of which were of local origin. A stone house, which had been the property of the 'now deceased' Mary Inch, at the back of the General Hospital Garden was sold in May 1809. The site of the hospital garden remained a well-known locality after the general hospital had been relocated to Macquarie Street in 1816. As late as 1829 a property in The Rocks was referred to as being 'near the hospital garden'. Harrington Street and Argyle Street, which form the eastern and northern boundary of the block on which the subject site is located, are amongst the earliest streets in Sydney. Both were given official names in 1810 by Governor Macquarie, around the same time that the decision was made to relocate the hospital to a new site in Macquarie Street. If the track and row of houses in what was later Harrington Street already had an unofficial name, it has not been identified, nor does it appear on maps dating from before 1810. Harrington Street was officially 'next to and running parallel to George Street' and Argyle Street was leading from 'George Street in a Westerly direction'.The maps prepared by Harper and Stewart in the early 1820s show that there was already a series of buildings on the western side of Harrington Street, which largely correspond to the lots identified by Robert Russell in his surveys undertaken in the early 1830s. Some of these cottages survived until the Resumption in the early 20th Century, however none survive today, having been replaced with terrace houses or demolished by the Resumed Properties Department (between 1903 and 1914). In the summary of the town allotments in Section 79, published in 1835, there were 7 landholders in the area of the subject sites, between the corner of Argyle Street and Cribbs Lane (now Cumberland Place). They were Thomas Weedon (lot 8), William Young (lot 9), William Brutus Lea (lot 10), Thomas Cooper (lot 11), Caleb Salter (lot 12), William Kelly (lot 13) and George Atherden (lot 14), all of whom had their quit rents dated 1 July 1823.William Young's Lot 9 is the site of the bald faced terraces now at 61-65 Harrington Street, he is the first known owner. William Young, a master mariner, 'claimed' lot 9 in Harrington Street in 1833 but he did not live in Sydney rather visited between voyages. Young did not erect the premises shown on Russells plan as buildings with a similar footprint are on the 1820s maps. It would appear from later descriptions that the buildings were a pair of stone houses and these are the first known buildings on the site. Young was the captain of Cooper & Levey's schooner 'Liberty', a Tasmanian-built bark, and from 1824 onwards made regular voyages between Hobart and Sydney. His cargo consisted of sealskins and occasionally elements salvaged from shipwrecks that were then sold at Cooper and Levey's Waterloo warehouse in George Street. Young also had associations with other properties on Harrington Street. In a 1830 newspaper advertisement Young states was acting as guardian for the family of deceased Joseph Davis who owned No 7 Harrington Street. It is not clear which property this is as at this time there were no formal street numbers though the lot numbers were sometimes used. In 1833 Lot 7 of Section 79 was the corner of Cambridge St and Cribbs Lane. At this time Lot 7 of Section 80 was the hotel south of Cribbs Lane owned by Weedon:I was astonished to see in your last paper, that a person named John Ryan had cautioned the public against paying rents of a house, No. 7 Harrington Street, and also a cottage fronting Cumberland-street, to any person but himself. Now, Sire, I request that you will contradict RYAN's statement, which is untrue, as the house at No. 7 belongs to the family of Mr Joseph Davis, deceased, and the house in Cumberland-street is my property; and should John RYAN, or any other person except my agent attempt to receive money on account of rent or otherwise, they will be proceeded against as the law directs. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, WILLIAM YOUNG. Guardian for the family of Mr Joseph Davis, Sydney, Jan 17, 1830.William Young was born in Parramatta in 1802. In 1825 he married Elizabeth Rebecca Jillet and from this time was based in Hobart where he was listed variously as being a victualler and a mariner. The merchant Daniel Cooper, one of Young's employers, also owned land elsewhere in Harrington Street. Many land transactions were arranged through business and family contacts rather than going to the expense of advertising. The emancipated convict Michael Gannon, who already owned land in The Rocks, is listed in the 1845 rate books as being the owner, however Young is still listed as being the owner in the 1851 rate books reflecting a complicated land ownership arrangement. This was revealed a court case regarding the resumption of this land in 1905 which detailed the improvements made by Porter in 1872. William Young had stipulated in his will that his wife Elizabeth Young was to remain a 'tenant for life' of the property, as were her surviving children (the date of his death is not given). As a result Gannon did not obtain the title until 1869. The 1865 trig survey shows the footprint of the pair of stone houses with shingle roofs described as such in the 1861 rate books and as being the property of Michael Gannon. These buildings were demolished in the early 1870s and replaced with the current terrace of three houses at No. 61-65 Harrington Street. No detailed illustrations of the stone cottages that preceded the current buildings on the site have been located. By 1845 part of Lot 9, the lot claimed by William Young, had been transferred to Michael Gannon. The house (in c.1855 this house was no.17 Harrington St) was one of a number of properties that Gannon owned in The Rocks and Millers Point and was simply an investment. In the case heard regarding the resumption of the property in 1905 it was revealed that under the terms of her husband's will, Elizabeth Young retained a life interest in the property, as did her surviving children and grandchildren. A carpenter and turner by trade; Gannon was transported to the colony in 1820 from Meath, Ireland on the Almorah, as was his brother James. He had been working as a builder since the mid-1820s, initially as a convict assigned to his wife. In the late 1830s Gannon raised mortgages on his other properties and moved his operations from Gloucester Street to the buildings he was progressively erecting at 43-45 Argyle Street. The townhouse and the adjacent shop survive today; the workshops to the rear do not. The 1845 rate books record Gannon as owning numerous properties in the Rocks including:Three houses, a House and Shop and a Public House in George StreetOne House in Harrington StreetOne House in Cambridge Street A Shop and 3 houses in Gloucester Street A House in Princes StreetTwo houses in Windmill Street A House in Kent Street Two houses in Argyle Street, one of which he occupied, the other was occupied by his brother-in-law, JJ Peacock. Gannon was one of a number of successful ex convicts and merchants from The Rocks and Millers Point who moved to a semi-rural property in the vicinity of the Cooks River, near Tempe and St Peters. By 1845 Gannon established an Inn there, known as Gannon's Inn. Gannon appears to have over extended himself financially and was bankrupted during the depression of the 1840s, as was his brother-in-law, JJ Peacock. By 1850 Gannon's bankruptcy had been finalised and he was able to purchase a substantial area of land that he named Gannon's forest. This area is now known as Hurstville. Michael Gannon died in 1881 a wealthy man. With his inheritance his son, Frederick Gannon, purchased Tempe House in 1884 where he lived with his wife Clarissa (née Murray) and family. In addition to Gannon's town residence in Argyle Street, another house built for the Gannon family also survives, known as Hurlingham. There is no documentary evidence to suggest that Gannon ever lived in the houses he owned in Harrington Street, they were rental properties. Gannon managed to retain this property throughout his bankruptcy and is still listed as being the owner in 1861. The rate books reveal that Gannon's tenants in his Harrington Street houses include Richard Richards in 1845 and James Henry in 1848. In 1848 the two storey brick house with 4 rooms, on Harrington Street, was rated at £20, whereas the six roomed houses in Susannah Place in Gloucester Street were rated at £24 as they had basement kitchens. By 1858 two houses are shown on the Harrington Street, which may be a subdivision of the earlier house. No 17 was occupied by Thomas Sleath and No. 19 by Joseph Lowdnes. There was only one tenant in 1861, Jane Robertson (the other house owned by Gannon was listed as being empty). In 1867 the house was again listed as only one residence, not two, with Mrs Greetwood being the occupant. This time the building was listed as being stone and in bad repair. In 1870 the property was improved with the demolition of the existing building and the erection of the present three brick houses. The Greetwoods had moved to one of the other houses in Harrington Street, presumably as the house they were occupying was substandard and was to be demolished. The rate books also show that by this time the majority of the properties in The Rocks and Millers Point that Gannon had once owned, with the exception of one shop in Windmill Street, had been sold. Porter's Terrace (now Nos 61-65) Lot 9, owned by Gannon and the Young family was redeveloped in 1870 and three small terrace houses erected by the speculative house builder Henry Dobson. The c.1855 street number was 17-19 Harrington St but it was later renumbered as 23-27 then again as 61-65. William Greetwood had been living at No. 17 in 1868 and for the following two years the building was described as being vacant, awaiting redevelopment. The three new terrace houses were built by 1870 and are listed in the rate books for the first time in 1871. The houses are described by the rates assessor as built of brick with slate roofs and each house was initially rated at £36. The owner was listed in the rate books as being H B Dobson but the ownership of the site is complex and not clear. It was revealed during the 1905 court case regarding the resumption of Young's property that it was J Porter who was responsible for the 1870s improvements and that he was one of the 'tenants in common' descended from Elizabeth Young who had been granted tenancy for life. Henry Bradburn Dobson was a speculative house builder who erected a number of residences in Harrington Street. Dobson had originally built twelve houses on the east side of Harrington Street, further subdividing the lots shown on the 1873 sale plan and three on the western side (now Nos 61-65), not all of which survive. The terrace Dobson erected for Porter had more residences than the buildings the terrace replaced, so could produce greater rental return. These terrace houses were intended as an investment and were not lived in by their owners. By 1877 the three houses erected by Dobson on the west side Harrington Street were recorded as owned by the descendant of the land holder, J Porter, rather than the builder and the 12 houses on the eastern side had been sold to J McClellan. All of these terraces houses were of a similar scale and rateable value. Both rows of houses are now above street level as the street was cut down in 1905. Both are now part of larger hotel or apartment complexes and have been altered internally. The first tenants of the terrace erected by Dobson for Porter in 1870 were William Woodberry (waterman) (north), Christopher Selby (carpenter)(centre) and James Lomax (government boatmen) (south). These occupations where similar to those of residents who had previously lived in the street. By 1875 William Woodberry had moved to No. 5, further north, and Nos. 17 to 21 were occupied by Whitton and James Pearson (17), Samuel Shaw (19) and Thomas Chandler (21) according to the Sands directory. None of the tenants of substandard housing owned by the slum landlords remained for long, compared to tenants of the more substantial housing who remained for many years. Porter's tenants in 1877 were Lewis Steel (17), John Wilson (19) and Henry Reynolds (21). Woodberry was still living in the large house at No. 5. Thomas Chandler had moved to Princes Street. The others were no longer listed in the rate books as residing in the Gipps Ward. By 1882 the tenants were John Moinow (or Moymon in rate book at 17), David Donaldson (19) and a Chinese man, Ah Kong (21). The tenants have been identified from the rate books at each date. In January 1900 the bubonic plague broke out in Sydney beginning in Ferry Lane. Sections of the foreshore were resumed in May 1900 from Circular Quay, around Dawes Point and Millers Point, and into Darling Harbour. The proposal to resume the entire Rocks area was announced in November 1900, shortly before the Chief Medical Officer's report on the plague outbreak had been tabled. As the number of cases increased sections of The Rocks and Millers Point were quarantined and a thorough cleansing operation was undertaken, co-ordinated by the architect George McCredie. The cleansing operations included cleaning, whitewashing, disinfecting and demolition of substandard structures. The housing stock at the northern end of Harrington Street continued to be let as rental accommodation and almost no alterations were made to buildings in this part of The Rocks. During this period, 1900 to 1920, there were a series of long standing tenants at the northern end of Harrington Street, including ·the Rasmussen family, the Olaf family and the Allner family in Stafford Terrace, ·the Waters and Lawrence Smith in Porters Terrace and ·the Brennan family at No. 67. Tenants were not well off and work at the docks was slow. Many had applied for relief and others sent their children to the benevolent kitchen to collect billy cans of soup. Finally the Minister undertook to go into the matter and see whether the conditions could not be made any easier for the tenants.During the twentieth century the street numbering of Harrington Street changed again and Harrington Street was renumbered as a continuation along Playfair Street which was connected to George Street via Atherden Street with the demolition of residences. The numbers commenced at the north end. This was presumably was related to the PWD works to regularise the streets. In the 1911 and 1921 the rate books have the old numbers with the groups of buildings being No. 7-19 (Stafford Terrace), 21-25 (Porters Terrace), then 27 and 29. By 1924 the present numbering system was in place. Later the street names have been changed again, but the numbering on Harrington Street was retained. As a result, there is now no 1-33 Harrington Street but there are still uneven numbered buildings 1-33 on the west side of Playfair Street. The revised numbering is shown on plans held by the Sydney City Council dating from 1956 and remain today.The population of Harrington Street was relatively stable, with many of the tenants remaining in place for at least a decade. There is no indication that any of the houses were operating as boarding houses. Agnes Gorrell occupied No. 67 from 1963 until 1973. She was granted a [pensioner] rent rebate in 1971 however the rent was increased in 1973. Mary Isobel Jago was recorded as being the tenant of No 65 from 1968. The house appears to have been vacant for some time, as the previous tenant had moved out in 1966. In 1970 Mrs Moran, a widow, moved from 27 Playfair Street to No. 63 Harrington Street. The last entry is for 1974 when Mrs Carol Johansson vacated No 61 Harrington Street in 1973. None of the cards dating from the 1950s to 1970s record any works being undertaken to the buildings. In 1968 the Government passed the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority Act to establish an authority to "cause the development area to be redeveloped in accordance with the approved scheme". The Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority was constituted in January 1970 and prepared its own scheme published in December 1970. SCRA's plan showed proposed new land uses and their perspective of the proposed high rise development on either side of a Harrington Street Pedestrian Mall show that none of the historic character or topography of Harrington Street south of Argyle Street was proposed to be retained. Residents objected to the scheme, in particular the loss of workers housing, and formed a resident action group. The Builders Labourers Federation imposed green bans refusing to work on these sites and halting work from 1971 to 1974. The wholesale redevelopment of the area did not go ahead as initially planned.Record photographs of the entire Rocks area were taken in 1970 and photographs of the houses in Harrington Street where amongst these. In September 1975 the surviving houses were inspected, with the aim of rectifying roof damage. Mr Jago who had been occupying No. 65 Harrington Street was to move to No 57, which was in a better condition and had just been vacated by Mr Griffiths. The floor of No. 65 where Mr Jago was living was described as being dangerous. The Sydney Cove Residents and Tenants Advisory Committee had written to the Authority regarding the maintenance of resident's homes.The Authority's files contain various redevelopment proposals put forward for the site from 1971 until 1984. In 1984 the area including the subject site was released for lease and development. Parts of the mid nineteenth century houses were required to be kept under the Authority planning scheme. The building site control drawings show that the main portion of the houses was to be kept, not outbuildings or rear wings. The Authority prepared drawings indicating the new building form and including a clocktower, on the corner of Harrington and Argyle Streets. Two sites were released at once and 42 expressions of interest were received, 29 of which were for both sites and 8 for the Clocktower site alone.A comparison of the footprint of the terraces shown on the late-19th century survey map and the survey prepared for the site of the Clock Tower development in 1986 indicates a few changes to the configuration of the property, the most obvious being the loss of four terraces at the northern end of the group. Minor changes included modification of the rear boundary line and remodelling of the single storey rear wing of the terraces.During the redevelopment of the block in the 1980s the single storey rear sections of the terraces were demolished. The refurbishment also involved the re-roofing of the terraces, replacement of all floors, first floor in timber boarding and the ground floor in concrete and replacement of original features such as all stairs, fire places, doors and windows with replicated elements.Due to the difficulty in housing building workers on the development site, the terraces were initially used as temporary accommodation until such time that sheds could be set up on concrete decks.The approval to name the serviced apartments 'Stafford Apartments' was given in June 1988. The initial lease to 'Sydney Visitor Apartments' was to run for 15 years from 1986, with an option for another six years. The property is now part of the international Rendevous Hospitality Group and run as the Rendevous Hotel Sydney, The Rocks, which comprises 55 serviced apartments, 35 shops, commercial office space and a car park, constructed 1986-89.

Historical significance: The land that now comprises the study area was originally part of the early, informal subdivision of the western side of Sydney Cove associated with the first hospital and staff residences. Evidence for this phase of the site's history is unlikely to survive. Subsequent levelling of individual allotments within what was once the hospital garden to create individual building platforms is likely to have removed traces of previous use of the site although levelling was an important aspect of the physical development altering the appearance of the site and the rock shelves that characterised the district as a whole. There may be physical evidence of this phase of the site's occupation under the buildings but the sandstone face on Cambridge Street and the remainder of the site was removed by the seep excavation for the Clocktower development. The phases of development of 55-71 Harrington Street demonstrate the historical progression from small scale basic accommodation erected by emancipated convicts to larger formal and well built housing erected by their descendants. They demonstrate the historical demand for housing close to the waterfront and commercial centre of Sydney. The site also has potential to contain a variety of archaeological resources related to the occupation and activities of people who worked and lived here in the period after 1816. These potential archaeological resources may include structural remains of houses and outbuildings as well as yard surfaces, internal occupation deposits and dumps. Such remains could provide information about the layout, details and function of previous uses of the site and expand knowledge about the history and development of the site itself and the local Rocks area. Should they survive, archaeological resources related to these previous land uses would provide additional information about the cultural history of the local area and so would be of archaeological research significance. The former terraces and houses are historically significant as they are indicative of the late 19th century speculative residential development (largely intended for the working class) in The Rocks. The terrace houses at 55-67 demonstrate how in the mid 19th century the density of The Rocks was increased by the insertion of two storey terrace houses into the existing housing stock which, at the time largely consisted of small single storey cottages. The replacement terraces were standard mid Victorian terraces, built as an investment and were not designed to be lived in by their owners. Despite having undergone a number of alterations, the surviving buildings demonstrate their original domestic configuration, as evident in their elevations to street, and remain in a type of residential use (albeit as serviced apartments). The survival of the building stock is in part due to the state ownership and management since the resumption in 1900. The early bedrock cuttings demonstrate the need to cut into the sandstone of The Rocks to make building platforms. The later cuttings and rock-face retaining walls are evidence of the Public Works improvement of the streets in 1905-6. The PWD plan of Harrington Street survives. The ramps and stairs at numbers 55 -69 and the cutting at number 71, along with the sloping raised footpath opposite (at numbers 42-52) show the original street level and with historic plans, record photographs and paintings enable an understanding of the former divided carriageway and less formal character of the streets of The Rocks.The place meets this criterion at a STATE level.The historical significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the building group, their facades and overall forms record photographs, block plans and paintings that show the former configuration of the street and the Sailors Return Hotel?the level of the ground floor of all buildings, the sloping footpath at 55-59 Harrington Street and the elevated rock cutting at 71 Harrington Street?the rockface retaining walls, stone stairs to 61-67 Harrington Street and sandstone cutting on the property boundary to 67 & 71 Harrington Street

Historical association: The buildings are associated with speculative developers in the late 1800s and residents of The Rocks between the 1880s and the mid 1970s. The buildings and prior buildings on the sites are associated with the shifting populations and changing social demography of The Rocks and associations with prior owners and occupants may be able to be established by research but no specific important associations are evident. The site of 61 to 65 Harrington Street has associations with speculator Michael Gannon and his descendants. The current buildings and the terraces opposite at numbers 42 to 52 Harrington Street are associated with the speculative terrace house builder Henry Dobson and the improvements made by descendants of the original grant holder. The site has few tangible links with individuals or groups who were significant figures in NSW cultural history. A number of property owners during the period between c.1820 and c.1850 had interest beyond the site but there is no evidence that these individuals, such as Thomas Weedon and Michael Gannon, resided on the site. The type and process of development of the site is typical of the residential nature of 19th century streets in The Rocks that were located behind the main commercial precinct of George Street. Should they survive, archaeological resources related directly to the site's occupants would provide information that would complement the cultural history of the local area and so would be of local archaeological research significance. The site has some associational significance at a LOCAL level.The associational significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the surviving fabric in association with the historical artworks, photographs and records

Aesthetic significance: The modest residential buildings located at 55-71 Harrington Street with the terraces opposite at 42-52 Harrington Street, the Harbour Rocks Hotel and cottages at 28-32 Harrington Street, make an important contribution to the streetscape of The Rocks precinct. The buildings enhance the human scale of the streetscape and reinforce the historic character of the precinct. They are important in demonstrating the aesthetic characteristics of The Rocks. The rock cuttings are evidence of the engineering works undertaken initially and in the early 20th century to "improve" the area and regularise the streets. The wide street is juxtaposed with the narrow and steep lanes leading from it - Cumberland Place, Suez Canal and Nurses Walk. The siting, stepping up the hill and elevated on rocky platforms, demonstrates the character of residential development in The Rocks and relates to the underlying landforms. If archaeological features are found on site and exposed as part of interpretive program they may have some aesthetic value in respect of their appearance as aesthetic 'ruins'. However, developments within the study area and the possible survival of remains only within the footprint of the extant structures are likely to inhibit any meaningful interpretation of in situ remains. It is not expected that this criterion will be met with respect to the archaeological resource and therefore the archaeology of the site does not meet the requirements for significance under this criterion. The varied architectural character of the buildings demonstrates the variety of styles of residential development in the mid nineteenth century ranging from an example of bald face Victorian Georgian terraces to examples with Italianate influenced decoration, and the typical Australianised form of the Victorian terrace with verandahs featuring cast iron lace. These differing styles are side by side. It is only in the inner ring of Sydney suburbs (particularly The Rocks and Millers Point) that the transition in terrace house design from the 1830s to the 1890s can be traced. The remaining houses in this study area contribute to an understanding of the development of the terrace house form in the nineteenth century.The item meets this criterion at a STATE level.The aesthetic significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the relationship of the buildings and the street, lanes and rock cuttings,?the range of detailing of the building facades?the scale of the buildings and elevation of the buildings above the road?the views to and from the site to the north?the transition from bald faced terrace houses to terrace houses with verandahs and cast iron laceThe technical significance / creative achievement of place is demonstrated by:?the rock cuttings and rock-face sandstone walls

Social significance: The terraces and houses have no specific strong or special associations with any particular community or group for cultural, social or spiritual reasons. The site's history has witnessed a variety of ownership and personal associations over the past two hundred years of European ownership. However no specific community or cultural group has been identified that has a particular association with the site. However the sites contribute strongly to the character of The Rocks heritage precinct which is highly valued by the contemporary community in Sydney and by visitors from elsewhere in Australia and overseas. Part of this value is as tangible evidence, along with other buildings in The Rocks, of the Green Bans and the successful resident and community action to preserve the residential community. These campaigns were also instrumental in starting to raise the profile of urban conservation in the community and amongst heritage professionals.The buildings have survived two slum clearance campaigns - that associated with the plague in 1900 and again in the late 1930s. They also survived the total redevelopment proposals of the 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly valued and economically viable precinct, valued by locals and tourists.The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level.The social significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the retention of the buildings despite significant efforts to demolish them?historical records and publications about the green bans?continued community support for retention of the Rocks?Listing (as an urban conservation area) on the National Trust Register and the Register of the National Estate

Research significance: The buildings located at 55-71 Harrington Street are a resource in The Rocks for interpretation and education for students, tourists and the wider community. They offer potential to research and interpret aspects the historic pattern of development of The Rocks such as:?the densification and official attempts to improve sanitation, building quality and regularise street alignments in the late 19th century and early twentieth centuries.?the range of buildings styles employed for speculative terrace houses,?the surviving elements from the early hotels,?the impact of the preservation campaigns, and the resulting juxtaposition of historic and modern structures.The potential archaeological resource at the study area has some ability to demonstrate aspects of the construction and occupation of a variety of domestic dwellings during a number of phases in the 19th century.The study area has the potential to contain archaeological resources related to the occupation and activities on the site from c.1814 onwards. At this stage the nature and extent of these features is otherwise unknown. It is also likely that portions of the yards and passages associated with the earliest phase of building development may survive. These yard areas (within the later building footprints) have potential to contain remains related to the way in which services were provided (if at all) for the residences that occupied the site. The potential resources, may also include structural remains of buildings that have the potential to provide information about the layout, details and functioning of these places and expand historical knowledge about the history and development of the site itself and the local area. Should they survive, archaeological resources related to these previous land uses would provide information that would be an important complement to the cultural history of the local area and so would be of local heritage significance. Depending on their extent, integrity and type, such relics may have some research potential to yield new information, un-obtainable from other sources, regarding historic use of the site. Accordingly, such remains (if any exist) would be locally significant in terms of this criterion.Overall the item meets this criterion at a STATE level.The research significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the surviving buildings and the associated historical informationThe archaeological research significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the undisturbed ground under the floor slabs and passage, the historic plans which show the footprint of earlier structures

Rare assessment: The buildings located at 55-71 Harrington Street are not uncommon, rare or endangered. However their survival of the collection of different styles of buildings, adjacent to each other is rare. The extent of surviving documents and images however in conjunction with the physical remains offers a rare opportunity to interpret this type of place. Also uncommon are the rock cuttings and elevated footpaths on both sides of the street. Together these historic features, on both sides, demonstrate the levelling of the road. Intact archaeological remains relating to the period between the relocation of the hospital in 1816 and 1840 occupation of the study area would be a typical example of the local area's material culture resource especially in relation to the use of the site for residential purposes. These are relatively uncommon survivals within the Sydney CBD. Sequences of building and occupation, from the period after c.1840, on other local sites throughout Sydney are numerous. The potential archaeological resource relating to other later occupation and use phases of the site are relatively common and not rare. The site meets this requirement for significance under this criterion for potential remains that pre-date 1840 at a local level.The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level.The rarity of the place is demonstrated by:?the building fabric of the range from bald faced terrace houses to terrace houses with verandahs and cast iron lace?the rock cuttings and stone retaining walls on both sides of the streetThe archaeological rarity of the place is demonstrated by:?the potential pre 1840s remains in undisturbed ground under the floor slabs and passage, the historic plans which show the footprint of earlier structures

Representative assessment: The study area is an important site as it has the ability to demonstrate the construction, operation and occupation of the area from c.1820 with otherwise unknown archaeological features predating the extant buildings on the site. The possible archaeological remains of former structures or evidence of archaeological deposits from the period between 1820 and 1900 (and possibly earlier) have the potential to provide an important contribution towards our understanding about the people who created, occupied and visited the site. The site meets this requirement for significance under this criterion for remains that pre-date 1840 at a local level. The terraces and houses of 55-71 Harrington Street are representative examples of typical designs of several "standard" terrace types prevalent throughout the inner suburbs of Sydney in the mid to late19th century. They represent the range and diversity of architectural styles and detailing used at a similar period in modest buildings at The Rocks and elsewhere in Sydney and used by speculative builders.The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level.The representativeness of the place is demonstrated by:?the surviving buildings and their fa?ade treatmentThe archaeological representative value of the place is demonstrated by:?the potential pre 1840s remains in undisturbed ground under the floor slabs and passage, the historic plans which show the footprint of earlier structures

Intact assessment: Archaeological Resources may remain intact under the footprint of the buildings

Physical condition:

Listings

References

Type	Author	Year	Title
Management Plan	BCS	2006	Conservation Management Plan, 61-65 Harrington St, The 'rocks
Written	SCRA	1984	Building Data Sheet CS/03
Written	Collingridge S	1978	National Trust Classification Card: 61-65 Harrington Street: Card 8, Harrington/Argyle Precinct
Management Plan (HC Endorsed)	Strategic Planning & Heritage, Place Management NSW	2019	55-71 Harrington Street, The Rocks
Management Plan	Jean Rice Architect	2013	55-71 Harrington St - Terraces - Conservation Managament Plan

IMAGES

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge