PIRIE BUILDING
Erected in 1890 for the hardware firm of Prest and Hocking, who also had a business in Port Pirie.
The building was described as being of stone with courses and window revealed of dressed and carved sandstone.
It has two storeys and a basement and is in a rusticated Italianate style. The architects were Nessrs Wital and Wells of Adelaide who also designed the Broken Hill Town Hall.
THE BARRIER MINER,4TH,OCTOBER 1890 says-The magnificent new building recently erected by Mesrs Pret and Hocking and known as Pirie buildings are universally acknowledged to an ornament to Argent Street, and not the least attractive feature is "the cool comfortable and cozy little cafe" which occupies the basement. This is known as the Argent Street Cafe. The proprietor is Mr. A. J. Jackman.
The "Tobacco Box" Mr H. Kunze opened his new premises in Pirie Building, opposite the Town Hall. Adjoining and under the same roof as the Toilet Palace Hairdressing Saloon of Mr Gibson, business is also being carried on in the old premises near Elliot's Hotel.
THE BARRIER BUSINESS DIRECTORY,1891-lists as occupants- Prest and Hocking, ironmongers.
Kunze H.,: "Tobacco Box".
Jackman H. (sick) Argent Street Cafe.
Barrier Ranges Apothecaries Co. (S.W. Lower, manager).
Sims E & Co., drapers.
The Broken Hill Club, formed in 1888,apparently occupied the upstairs in Pirie Building during the demolition of the Union Bank building where they had occupied rooms upstairs until after the erection of the new building which made provision for the Club in the plans. The Club was probably in Pirie Building from around the middle of 1892 until late in 1893 or early 1894.
The rooms that had been occupied by the Broken Hill Club were later taken over by the Amalgamated German Clubs-The Deutscher Verein as shown in the following newspaper report;-
BARRIER MINER,9TH MARCH,1895--Previous to November last there were two German Clubs in Broken Hill-Deutscher Verein (German Club) which had its rooms in Blende Street and the Arbeiter Verbein (Workingmens's Club) whose rooms were at the Theatre Royal Hotel.
In November the Clubs amalgamated and jointly rented the premises in Pirie Building formerly occupied by the Broken Hill Club. The new society is now known as Deutscher Verein.
It is nor known how long the Deutscher Verein stayed in Pirie Building but it was probably four or five years.
The next tenant recorded was the Y.M.C.A. which was formed on 7th May 1906.
The first meeting was held in Pirie Building in Argent Street and a report shows that in 1908,two years after its foundation, it had a numerical strength of over 400 members.
The Pirie Building premises were too cramped and moved was made to the corner of Blende and Oxide Streets and later in 1908 to the old German Club building on the corner of chloride and Cobalt Streets which had become vacant with the German Club's move to Delemore Street next to G & R Wills building.
A 1910 Insurance plan shows the ground floor occupants as Press and Hocking, ironmonger with stables and timber yards, Beaumont, stationer at rear.Uptairs, Lower, chemist. Moyle & Co. mercer.
Lower purchased the Barrier Ranges Apothecaries Co. of which he had been the manager, in July 1891,and continued to operate on his own behalf.
No continuous record of tenants is possible but by 1936,Prest and Hocking had left the premises and had probably sold the building.
H.C. Thomas had taken over S.W. Lower's chemist and Bert Walker Men's Wear were in the shop previously occupied by Moyle.
By 1944 this shop at No 283 was Peter Samson's Boots and Shoes.
The 1959 Universal Business Directory lists as tenants of the building -The Australian Legion of Ex Servicemen and Woman.
About that time an Adelaide nurseyman, Sever, rented the basement for a few days each year selling seedlings and plants.
Ground floor tenants in the early 1990's were;-
293 City Fashions.
285 Steven Mann, chiropractor.
283 Carthew, jeweler.
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