Johnston & Co. Building, 125 Princes Street (1917)

This single storey reinforced concrete building on the corner of Princes and Napier Streets was erected in 1917 for the firm Johnston & Co - wine and spirits merchants. 

The building was designed by Duffill & Gibson, and the builder was J.W. Tong. Duffill & Gibson called for tenders in April 1917 and when nearly complete the Hawera & Normanby Star described the building as, "an ornament to the town". The description was of the front elevation being in the "modern Renaissance" style, with the main entrance from Princes Street, and the "cart docks...and entrance to the wine store" on Napier Street. 

The entry for the building in the Hawera Town Centre Heritage Inventory (2002) explains that later the building was a "trader's shop - T.W. Young, while Dalgety Travel were in the building before being occupied by Villandry who sold garden accessories". At the time of the heritage inventory the building was a bar & restaurant. 

Related items:

Hawera Crown Grant Map (1899), Archives New Zealand.

Taranaki (Lots 1 & 5) DP3615 Sheet 1 (1918), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

By-law waived (Hawera & Normanby Star 12 July 1917 p.4)

Opening advertisement (Hawera & Normanby Star 14 November 1917 p.1)