Blue Waters, Perth Explained

Blue Waters
Architectural Style:Inter-War Art Deco
Owner:David Cavanagh
Location:Western Australia
Address:426 Canning Highway
Location Town:Como
Location Country:Australia
Opened Date:1954
Renovation Date:2006
Architect:Keith D'Alton

Blue Waters is a historic private residence located on Canning Highway in Como, Western Australia. The house was built in 1954 by Mabel and Keith Perron (the brother of Stan Perron). Designed as a "party palace", it became the hub of the Perth social scene for many years.[1]

History

Shortly before the Second World War, the Perrons were inspired by a magazine illustration of a Florida Art Deco house design. Construction of the 1930s design was delayed until 1954 because of wartime restrictions.[1] Building materials were rationed during the war, and the design of Blue Waters involved a greater quantity of brickwork and glass than the quotas allowed. To overcome the handicap, Keith Perron established a brickworks.[2] Other technical challenges could not be met in Australia, the curved glass windows and frames having to be shipped from the U.K.[2]

The house became both a social hub and a landmark outside which tour buses would regularly pause.[1] On a return trip from Darwin, the Perrons' two young sons brought back two baby crocodiles in a shoe box, and set up a small pond in the backyard for them. One was later donated to the Perth Zoo after venturing outside the property.[2] Daughter Judith had a modelling career and used the house for photographic shoots. A cousin, Marshall Perron lived there for a while as a young man before establishing himself as a Northern Territory politician and chief minister.

In 1961 the house, complete with its original furniture, was sold to Joy and Eric Lillingston for £12,500 (A$25,000).[2] In 1965, it was bought by a bookmaker named Botica, and later by a Mr Sowden who was the deputy mayor of Fremantle.[2] In the 1970s, the Norvillas family acquired it and stayed for 35 years before selling in 2006 to David Cavanagh.[2] Cavanagh contacted the original owners for their advice in restoring the property to its original condition.[2]

The house was listed on the Municipal Heritage Inventory of the City of South Perth in December 1994, affording it a "high level of protection" under the City of South Perth Town Planning Scheme.[3] The statement of significance for the house's registration noted its "aesthetic, representative and rarity cultural heritage significance".[4]

The house has been featured in a number of films, including The Reckoning, a 2014 crime thriller, which starred Jonathan LaPaglia, Luke Hemsworth and Viva Bianca.

Design

The building was designed by architect Keith D'Alton,[5] and has featured in national reference books on Australian architecture for its interwar design features and its distinctive curved glass windows.[1]

References

-32.0022°N 115.8615°W

Notes and References

  1. News: Raquel . De Brito . 'Party palace' Blue Waters on market . The West Australian . 2010-12-23 . 2012-08-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130409000246/http://bluewatersperth.com.au/media.html . 2013-04-09 . dead .
  2. Web site: The Life and Times of Blue Waters. David Cavanagh. 2012. 2012-08-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20130409000208/http://bluewatersperth.com.au/history.html. 2013-04-09. dead.
  3. http://www.southperth.wa.gov.au/Documents/Planning/Municipal-Heritage-Inventory/13-Precinct-9-Como.pdf Listed Places in Precinct 9: Como
  4. http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/e17b8a39-cc56-49f7-9eec-d160e9a56504 Blue Waters - House
  5. http://www.bluewatersperth.com.au/history.html Blue Waters