“The building at 181-183 Gertrude Street, on the north-west corner of Gertrude and George streets, is historically and architecturally significant as a typical but now rare example of modest gold rush-era shop design. The building was developed in a number of stages beginning in 1852, though the earliest existing structure is from 1853. The two-storey shops were owned and built by Joseph Trevena, a stonemason who had migrated from Cornwall. The building was divided into two shops and residences in 1864; since then other internal alterations have been made. Part of the large yard originally at the rear of the building now has a brick addition which is linked to the original building on the George Street frontage.” (Gertrude Street, Jill Robertson, Fitzroy History Society, p.5)
