44 and 46 Forfar Road, Hamlyn Heights

44 and 46 Forfar Road, Hamlyn Heights are a pair of adjacent residential dwellings located in the Geelong suburb of Hamlyn Heights, Victoria, Australia. Constructed at different stages by Latvian migrant builder Pēteris Eriks Krastiņš (Peter Eriks Krastins), the houses are notable for their incorporation of European architectural forms and construction techniques uncommon in postwar suburban Geelong. Together, they demonstrate the influence of migrant builders in shaping local residential architecture during the second hald of the 20th century.

History

The original dwelling at 44 Forfar Road was constructed in 1960-1961 by Peteris Krastins, a Latvian migrant builder. 46 Forfar Road was built in 1987, also by Peteris.

44 Forfar Road was sold on October 1, 1989, and later on April 10, 2025.

Description and features

The dwelling at 44 Forfar Road is a brick veneer house distinguished by its use of "crazy stone" base wall construction, a technique Krastins adapted from building traditions familiar from his European homeland of Lativa. This method, uncommon in suburban Geelong at the time, gives the house a distinctive textured base and reflects the transfer of migrant construction knowledge into an Australian context.

The later house at 46 Forfar Road features a prominent mansard roof, a form more directly associated with European architecture. While the roof's traditional functional purpose of shedding snow was unnecessary in Geelong, its inclusion served as a visual expression of Krastins' cultural identity and an intentional reference to his Latvian origins, interpreted in a contemporary suburban setting.