Santa Barbara, New Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Barbara, New Farm |
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Santa Barbara, 2008
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| Location | 209 Moray Street, New Farm, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1929 - 1930 |
| Built for | Sarah Balls |
| Architect | Eric Percival Trewern |
| Architectural style(s) | Spanish Mission |
| Official name: Santa Barbara | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 28 January 2000 |
| Reference no. | 601547 |
| Significant period | 1920s-1930s (fabric, historical) |
| Significant components | residential accommodation - main house, trees/plantings, garden/grounds, attic, decorative features, fence/wall - perimeter, loggia/s, paving, garage |
| Builders | DF Roberts |
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Santa Barbara is a special house in New Farm, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It's a large home known as a villa. It was designed by a famous architect named Eric Percival Trewern. The house was built between 1929 and 1930.
Santa Barbara is important because of its unique design. It is built in the Spanish Mission style. This style makes it look like buildings you might see in Spain or California. Because of its history and design, Santa Barbara is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's a protected building.
Contents
The Story of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is a beautiful house made of brick with a special smooth finish. It was built for a Brisbane businesswoman named Mrs. Sarah Balls. She hired the architect Eric Percival Trewern to design her new home. The builder was DF Roberts.
The land where Santa Barbara stands has a long history. It was once part of a much larger area called New Farm. In the 1870s, a very important person named Samuel Griffith owned a lot of this land. He built his own home, called Merthyr, nearby.
After Sir Samuel Griffith passed away in 1920, his land was divided up. In 1929, Sarah Balls bought the plot of land where Santa Barbara now stands.
Sarah Balls and Her Vision
Sarah Balls was a successful businesswoman. She had run several hotels and other businesses in Queensland. She was known for being very active in business.
In July 1929, Sarah Balls applied to the Brisbane City Council to build her new house. She planned for it to be a brick home costing £4,000. This was a lot of money back then, making Santa Barbara one of the most expensive homes built in Brisbane at that time.
The Architect: Eric Percival Trewern
The architect, Eric Percival Trewern, was very well-known in Brisbane. He started his own architecture business in 1920. He was famous for bringing new styles to Brisbane. He loved the Spanish Mission style for homes, and Santa Barbara is considered one of his best designs. It's even thought to be the finest example of Spanish Mission style in Brisbane.
Trewern also designed other important buildings in Brisbane. He was very involved in improving architectural standards in Queensland. He held important roles in groups like the Queensland Institute of Architects.
A Much-Admired Home
Santa Barbara was finished by May 1930. People admired it greatly. It was featured in magazines and newspapers. They highlighted its unique Spanish Mission style and its beautiful garden. The roof, made of special tiles, was especially impressive. One newspaper article in 1936 called it "one of the most admired homes of New Farm." It said the house had a "romantic atmosphere" because of its Spanish design.
Sarah Balls lived in Santa Barbara until she passed away in 1932. After her death, the house was passed down through her family for many years.
What Santa Barbara Looks Like
Santa Barbara is a large, low house with smooth, light-colored walls. It has a unique shape with different parts joining together. It truly shows off the Spanish Mission style.
Key Features
- Roof and Chimney: The roof is made of heavy, rounded terracotta tiles. A tall, curvy chimney sits on a large square base, making it a standout feature.
- Front Entrance: The main entrance has a porch with three arched openings. It has fancy metalwork and twisted columns that look like "barley sugar."
- Windows: On either side of the porch are bay windows. They have tiled roofs and special planter boxes. The windows have decorative leadlight glass in an octagonal pattern.
- Loggia and Garage: A covered walkway, called a loggia, connects the house to the garage. It also has twisted columns and a tiled top. The garage has been extended with an open roof and brick paving.
- Details: The main door has delicate concrete decorations around it. You can also see circular decorations, called cartouches, in several places on the outside.
Inside the House
Reports from the past describe the inside of Santa Barbara as having special handmade floor tiles. The ceilings and walls are paneled, and there are gently arched doorways. The glass doors have decorative patterns. The main fireplace is said to be very fancy, with twisted columns and molded plaster.
The house is painted a light terracotta color, and details like the metalwork are painted blue. The outside of the house looks very much like it did when it was first built.
The Garden and Surroundings
The garden is also an important part of the house's design. There's a low wall around the property with brick on top. The paths are made of "crazy" paving, which means stones are laid in an uneven pattern. There are also beautiful, mature poinciana trees along the street. The name "Santa Barbara" is carved into the wall near the entrance.
Why Santa Barbara is Important
Santa Barbara is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register for several reasons:
- History: It shows how New Farm developed between the 1920s and 1930s. Even as the area changed, this part of New Farm remained a place for middle-class families.
- Design: It's a great example of a large house built in the Spanish Mission style. It's considered one of the best examples of this style in Brisbane.
- Beauty: The house is beautiful because of its design, materials, and how well it has been kept. It adds a lot to the look of Moray and Sydney streets and the New Farm area.
- Architect: It's strongly connected to the work of the important Brisbane architect EP Trewern. Many people consider it his most famous residential design.
