Notre Dame University ND28 - now School of Physiotherapy
Former Western Australian Bank, Bank of New South Wales, Kreglinger Buildings,
16-20 Mouat St, 22 High St
Lot 43 and 44 were originally owned by Hugh McDonald (1829-1837), then transferred to Alex Francisco (1855-1879).
Alexander Francisco arrived in WA in 1840 with his wife Charlotte and first child Lucy. He first was the publican for the Crown & Thistle in High St ( 1841-1849) and was also a Director of the Western Australian Bank from its formation in 1841 until his death in 1878. In April 1848 he was elected as Treasurer of a committee to introduce an Act to Provide for the improvement of the towns in the colony of Western Australia. Charlotte was a committee member of this same group. He was also a member of the Fremantle Town Trust (1848-, 1857-63, 1865-66).
In 1852, on the death of Charlotte, Alex took his five children back to England. He remarried there and returned to Fremantle with his second wife Julia Augusta and three daughters, on the Aerolite in 1855.
He worked as ‘second clerk’ at the Convict Establishment and operated a General Store and Post Office from this site-on the corner of Mouat and High Sts. He was ‘Fremantle Postmaster’ (1861-68 & 1873-1878), taking over the position from Walter Bateman. When Alex Francisco died in 1878 the Post Office was moved to a Government building at the corner of Cliff and Marine Terrace and the position of postmaster taken by L.J. Stirling (reference) . After his death the property was sold to the Bank of Western Australia by his wife Julia Augusta Francisco:
1880 “With Mrs Francisco for the purchase of her premises in High St, Fremantle for our Fremantle Branch. It is a good site -she wants 2,000 pounds for it, it includes a large warehouse and stables at the back”. The bank paid Mrs Francisco 2,000 pounds for her property (Fri 29 Oct 1880) (Ref: The Hillman Diaries 1877-1884).
The two storey building was designed by J. Talbot Hobbs for the Western Australian Bank and under the Bank of Australasia, it opened in 1891. It is a grand Victorian bank in the Federation Academic Classical style and considered to be one of the finest buildings in Fremantle. It has an ashlar effect on the ground floor and limestone foundations. The decorative parapet has a pediment featuring a decorative arch with the date 'AD 1891'. The pediment over the front entrance is flanked by pilasters with brackets above. There are engaged Corinthian columns on the first floor and engaged low piers below the windows. In 1974 it was classified by National Trust.
The lower part, at rear, in Mouat Street, is a single storey building with a hipped roof.
From 1927-1949 it was the Bank of New South Wales.
2002-2005: Notre Dame made health education a priority and established a Medical School (2002) and Schools of Health Sciences, Nursing and Physiotherapy (2005) on the Fremantle Campus. The School of Physiotherapy opened under the leadership of Brian Edwards, with Elizabeth Henley and Peter Hamer. From The Founding and Establishment of Notre Dame, 1986-2014 by Peter Tannock 2014 (reference)
OccupantS
Lot 43 owners:
1829 - 1837 McDonald, Hugh
1855 - 1879 Francisco, Alex
1880 Mrs Francisco
18 Mouat Street
1903 - 1909 Cook Chambers
1903
Manford & Co. Frank, customs, shipping & forwarding agents &c
Roger & Co. J MacLeod, mercantile brokers & general agents
New Zealand Accident Insurance Co. Agents: N H Baker & Irwin M Moyes, Cliff st
1903 - 1905 Brimage & Co. T F, share brokers
1903 - 1906 Baker, N H, stock & share brokers
1903 - 1907 The West Australian & Western Mail, Newspaper Office
1903 - 1909
Thomas, Horace P, shipping & insurance agent
Cook & Son, Thomas tourists' agents. Horace P Thomas, agent
1904 - 1906 Universal Plate Glass Co. (The), N H Baker, attorney
1905 - 1907 Patriotic Insurance Co., H P Thomas, attorney
1905 - 1909
Brown James, & Alex, coal merchants & steamship owners
Gallop & Co. G F, commercial & shipping agents
1908 - 1909 Guardian Insurance Co. H P Thomas, attorney
1909 Murphy, William A, shipping & customs agent
1909 - 1919 Commonwealth Insurance Co Ltd (fire & marine), R J Lynn, attorney
1909 - 1920 Lynn Ltd, R J, J.P., MLC, shipping and commercial agents
1912 - 1919 Collie Co-op Colleries Ltd
1915 - 1917 Victoria Insurance Co Ltd (fire marine, accident & guarantee) (R J Lynn Ltd., agents)
1923 - 1935 Johnson & Lynn, coaling and shipping agents
1926 - 1935 Fremantle Coal Coy
1933 - 1935
Amalgamated Collieries of WA Ltd
Consulate Netherlands (W Johnson)
1935 - 1936 Vacant
1936 - 1949 Fremantle Lumpers' Union of Workers
1939 - 1943 Seamen's Union of Australasia
Lot 44 owners:
1829 - 1837 Dod, P H
1855 - 1879 Francisco, Alex
1880 Mrs Francisco
22 High Street
1893 - 1927 THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN BANK
1893 - 1922 C Leonard Clifton, manager
1923 - 1927 Thomas Harkness, manager
1932- Bank of NSW P R H Calman, manager
1933 - 1940 H J Creed, manager
1941 - 1944 L S Webb, manager
1946 J J Hooper, manager
1947- 1949 Lyle Northcott, manager
It traded as a Westpac branch until 1999.
Notre Dame bought the building c 2002
