Jolimont, Palmer Street 001, 003, 005

The three terrace houses at 1-5 Palmer Street, Jolimont were built in 1888 by F McIntosh for Thomas Care.  If there were an architect involved his name is not known.  However the previous year Thomas Care had the same builder erect a house at 21 Charles Street, which runs at right angles behind the Palmer Street houses. G R Cox was the architect for this house and it seems possible he may have also designed the Palmer Street houses. 

The houses were built as investment properties and the Care family never lived in any of them. In 1896 Thomas Care died and the houses were inherited by his son, Charles, who continued to rent them out.  He died in 1950 and the houses were sold.

The new owners were Gertrude a’Beckett and William Auncell a’Beckett, mother and son.  In 1954 they won praise from Robin Boyd in his regular ‘Building and Design’ column for The Herald, for saving the building ‘from the downward track that leads to the slums’. The houses were completely remodelled and the work was accomplished with the tenants still in residence. The article is accompanied by ‘before and afte’ photos.