Herbert Nathaniel Davis (20 December 1867 – 14 March 1900) was an Australian architect responsible for designing a number of the extant heritage buildings in Fremantle, Western Australia.[1][2]
Herbert Nathaniel Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1867 |
| Died | March 14, 1900 (aged 32) Ord Street, Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Miriam Louise Levine |
| Children | 1 |
He died at the age of 32, and was interred in the Jewish section of Fremantle Cemetery.[1]
Biography edit
Early life edit
Davis was born on 20 December 1867 in Sydney, New South Wales, into a Jewish family.[3] His father Eleazor (or Eleazer) M. Davis, originally from Exeter,[4] was a businessman,[2] importing and selling a variety of goods from their shop "The Civet Cat" (also known as "The Civet Cat Fancy and General Repository"[5] and "The Civet Cat Fancy Bazaar")[6] at 98 King Street in central Sydney.[2][7] His mother Frances (Fanny) Matilda Lazarus of London[4] raised Herbert and his elder brother Edward Davis, and suffered a number of miscarriages between the births of the two boys.[2]
In December 1865, a fire destroyed a great deal of the shop's stock — more than they were insured for.[2][8] They relocated briefly to George Street[9] before returning to their original location a year later.[10] Five years before the fire, the business had also briefly been declared insolvent and was unable to reopen until 1863.[11][12]
Davis' mother died in 1888, when Davis was 19,[2] and his father died in 1908 at his son Edward's home after returning to London.[13]
Not much is known of Davis' education, but by the age of 21 he was a member of the Hebrew Literary and Debating Society, debating at the Great Synagogue.[2] Soon after this he moved to Western Australia.
Marriage and family edit
Davis married Miriam Louise "May" Levine in August 1894 and, a little over a year later, their daughter, Gladys Elizabeth "Poppy", was born in Fremantle.[2][14] After Davis' death, May and Poppy were both nurses at St. Omer's Hospital in Perth[15][16] before Poppy moved to Melbourne and became engaged to Bombay-based accountant John Hewet Hardie.[17] Davis only had one grandchild, Hewitt Ian, who died in Bombay in March 1920 at two days old.[18] Poppy died in February 1972 and left the public trustee as the sole executioner of her will.[19][20]
Buildings edit
In addition to a number of villas and cottages in places such as Cottesloe Beach[21] and on Beach Street,[22] Davis' portfolio included:
- 1893: Extensions to the Pier Hotel, Cliff Street.[1]
- 1895:
- Refurbishment of a private residence into the Esplanade Hotel, Marine Terrace. (Interior only; the exterior was redesigned by J. Herbert Eales in 1903).[1]
- The McDonald Smith Building.[1]
- The Union Stores Building, corner of High and Henry Streets. Built for Bateman Hardware. The verandahs of this building were removed, and restored in 1986.[1][23]
- 1896: The Lilly Building, 34-36 Cliff Street (next door to the above).[1][24]
- 1897: The Tolley & Company Warehouse, 1 Pakenham Street. The building still bears the sign for the Tolley Co. even though that company only occupied their purpose-built facility for eleven years.[1][25][26]
Architectural practice edit
After briefly setting up business in 1892[2] in the Swan Chambers building in Hay Street in the Perth CBD, Davis moved to Fremantle where he was to have a successful career, albeit one that lasted little more than a decade. In 1896, he entered into a partnership with G. Anketell Wilson and they operated Davis and Wilson out of a building on Cliff Street in Fremantle.[27] For a time, he also operated out of the Rialto Chambers.[28]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Garry Gillard (11 February 2016). "Fremantle Stuff > People > Herbert Nathaniel Davis". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Taylor, John J. (November 2013), Herbert Nathaniel Davis (PDF), Australian Institute of Architects, archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2016
- ^ Taylor, John J. Between Duty and Design: The Architect-soldier Sir J.J. Talbot Hobbs. p. 69.
- ^ a b "Marriages". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 1856. p. 1. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 December 1863. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bazaar". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 October 1867. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bazaar". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 October 1867. p. 8. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Fire in King Street". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 1865. p. 7. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fire! Fire!". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 1865. p. 10. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 December 1866. p. 14. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Law - In Insolvency". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 May 1861. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 November 1863. p. 6. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deaths". Trove. National Library of Australia. 24 March 1908. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Births". Trove. National Library of Australia. 23 October 1895. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Mainly About People". Trove. National Library of Australia. 25 October 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Marriages". Trove. National Library of Australia. 6 December 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Coastal Gossip". Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 December 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "R.I.P." Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 April 1920. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "Legal notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 1972. p. 36. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "In the manner of the estates..." Trove. National Library of Australia. 5 May 1972. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 25 October 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 December 1894. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "New Buildings at Fremantle". The West Australian. Vol. 11, no. 2, 887. Western Australia. 20 May 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 20 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 19 October 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Commercial Building, 1 Pakenham Street". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 18 July 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Business Announcements". Trove. National Library of Australia. 24 March 1896. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 21 April 1898. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
External links edit
- Biography of Davis Archived 31 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine from the Australian Institute of Architects.
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