Herbert Nathaniel Davis

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(1867-12-20)December 20, 1867
DiedMarch 14, 1900(1900-03-14) (aged 32)
Ord Street, Fremantle, Western Australia
NationalityAustralian
OccupationArchitect
SpouseMiriam Louise Levine
Children1

He died at the age of 32, and was interred in the Jewish section of Fremantle Cemetery.[1]

Biography

Early life

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

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

In addition to a number of villas and cottages in places such as Cottesloe Beach[21] and on Beach Street,[22] Davis' portfolio included:

Architectural practice

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

  1. Garry Gillard (11 February 2016). "Fremantle Stuff > People > Herbert Nathaniel Davis". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  2. Taylor, John J. (November 2013), Herbert Nathaniel Davis (PDF), Australian Institute of Architects, archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2016
  3. Taylor, John J. Between Duty and Design: The Architect-soldier Sir J.J. Talbot Hobbs. p. 69.
  4. "Marriages". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 1856. p. 1. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 December 1863. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Bazaar". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 October 1867. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Bazaar". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 October 1867. p. 8. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "The Fire in King Street". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 1865. p. 7. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Fire! Fire!". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 1865. p. 10. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 December 1866. p. 14. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Law - In Insolvency". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 May 1861. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 November 1863. p. 6. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Deaths". Trove. National Library of Australia. 24 March 1908. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  14. "Births". Trove. National Library of Australia. 23 October 1895. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  15. "Mainly About People". Trove. National Library of Australia. 25 October 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. "Marriages". Trove. National Library of Australia. 6 December 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  17. "Coastal Gossip". Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 December 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  18. "R.I.P." Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 April 1920. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  19. "Legal notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 1972. p. 36. Retrieved 26 July 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  20. "In the manner of the estates..." Trove. National Library of Australia. 5 May 1972. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  21. "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 25 October 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  22. "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 December 1894. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  23. "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.
  24. "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 19 October 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  25. "Commercial Building, 1 Pakenham Street". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  26. "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 18 July 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  27. "Business Announcements". Trove. National Library of Australia. 24 March 1896. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  28. "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 21 April 1898. Retrieved 25 July 2021.


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