House

106 Kars Street, Frankston

History
The estate of H.E Elliot, in 1935, included Lots 119 to 137, 166 and 167 Kars Street.1 The National Trustee Company, who managed the estate, sold these allotments to the Investors Land and Finance Corporation of Swanston Street, Melbourne, in 1937.2 They in turn sold Lots 166 and 167, which were included in what was called the Liddesdale Estate, to a merchant, David Johnston, of Chapel Street, Prahran, in 1938.3 In the same year Johnston built a house on the property.4 He retained ownership until after 1945.5

Johnston was a member of H.W. Johnston and Sons Pty. Ltd., leather merchants of 119 Chapel Street, Prahran, and later 310 Chapel Street.6 In 1954 Johnston resided at The Ridge, Frankston.7

Phyllis & Thomas Unsworth, a manager, became the first owner-occupiers of the property by 1952 and remained there until the late 1960s, when Phyllis became the sole occupant.8

Description
A larger Tudor or Old English style house with walls of brick, stucco and stone and is set in a mature exotic garden as a major corner site.

External Integrity
Generally Original

Context
On major corner site, large, hence and prominent. The garden is conifer-based as would be expected from the construction date with the use of stone adding to the character. However new native planting is beginning to obscure the original garden's worth.

Significance – Study Grading B
Architecturally, this house is of a minority style and era of Frankston and is of interest when judged in the metropolitan context, given its high integrity, notable landscape setting and prominent sitting; Historically, it is an example of a suburban style of the 1930s which was popular amongst Melbourne's middle classes, but relatively uncommon in Frankston: of regional and local importance.

Landscape: metropolitan significance.