On 29 April 1912 a fierce blaze originating in the Central Hotel on the corner of High & Union Streets destroyed the hotel and the building next door occupied by McGruer, Bone & Co. The local fire brigade was able to save the other buildings nearby, although the heat of the blaze also damaged the buildings opposite.
The two-storey reinforced concrete building above was erected on the site in 1912-13 for Messrs Halliwell, Robertson and Blair. It was designed by Hāwera architect Mr J.E.Roe and the contractor was Mr E.W.Good, also of Hāwera.
The ground floor was divided into four shops, with a staircase leading to a "well-lighted showroom" on the upper floor. The remainder of the upper floor was to include a dining-room, kitchen, gin store, pantries and "all modern conveniences". One of the ground floor shops was to be occupied by Mr J.P.Keen who planned to have a tea-room attached to the shop. (Hawera & Normanby Star, 30 November 1912, p.7)
The Hāwera Town Centre Heritage Inventory entry (June 1997) records that between 1938 and 1963 the building was known as Patterson's Corner. The study also highlights its "high architectural value...in a style not otherwise represented in town" and that "it plays an important role in the townscape in conjunction with several other heritage buildings nearby."
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