23 High St OWSTON'S BUILDINGS

Notre Dame University ND23 - Owston's Buildings

9-23 High St, (was 17-31 pre 1938) corner Mouat and High Sts.

Architecture: Two storey rendered building, separated on the façade by pilasters with ashlar effect, separating the building into eight sections with zero setback from the pavement. It has a roof parapet above the moulded cornice with low pier balustrading and a centre pediment with the 'Owston's Buildings' name and date- 1903.

Lots 31 & 32 were owned jointly in 1876 by William Owston, W. S. Pearse and George Pearse. Captain William Owston established the firm of Pearse and Owston, shipowners and importers of Eastern produce. The firm owned a number of vessels, including coastal ships.

From 1899 until 1902 the first real estate agent in Fremantle John Twinem, (bio), worked here in the old William & Co. Sandover building (see photo). Twinem “had a seductive smile, and soon had a rent roll that made other agent’s mouths water”. He was dubbed the ‘father' of real estate agents in Fremantle. (reference) (reference)

1903 Designed by F. W. Burwell and built by R. Rennie, a new building was erected and known as the Owston Buildings. It had eight shops on the ground floor and six flats above, originally with a verandah on both sides. At Owston's death in 1903 the property passed to William Mason Owston, his grandson (1881-1946).

From 1907 to 1914 Watson's Luncheon or Refreshment Rooms operated from the site and then it became Watson's Supply Stores. See image: Watson's Luncheon rooms c 1910, courtesy Fremantle City Library History Archives no 2696

From 1953 to 2005, no 9 was the Roma Restaurant , which was established by Nella and Frank Abrugiato. It time became an iconic Fremantle destination. Frank was from Abruzza, Italy and arrived in WA in 1953. Nella was from Catania, Sicily and arrived in 1954. They had been married by proxy in 1952. The restaurant served family style Italian food, and became an iconic Fremantle destination especially in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2005 the Roma was taken over by Nunzio Gumina as the Villa Roma. in 2016 it was reopened by Abrugiato family members, changing the name to Roma Cucina.

In 2012- Sergio Guazzelli opened Blink Cafe at no 19

2002 nos 21-23 became Notre Dame University, Admissions Office

Occupants

Lot owners 19, 31 & 32: 1829 - 1837 (19 & 31) Lyon, Robert M (32) Dixon, W M, 1855 - 1859 Brown, R, 1876 - 1878 Pearse & Owston

No. 9 (was 17 pre 1938)

1905 - 1910 McKenzie & Chisholm, printers

1914 - 1916 Woods, F W, sail & tent maker

1915 (office) Miller, Mrs. J W

1916 - 1918 (office) Magripilis, Anthony

1917 - 1925 Willis, Geo, sail & tent maker

1919 Lanza, Silvatole

1926 - 1932 Hood A, sail maker

1933 - 1935 Vacant

1938 - 1949 Moullin & Co. Ltd. J. H., customs agents

No. 11 (19)

1903 Construction Completed

1905 - 1908 Gorrie & Co. independent agents

1909 - 1910 Guiseppe Re, importer

1914 Urquhart & Newbill, electrical engineers

1914 - 1916 Atlas Engineering Co. (Show rooms)

1915 - 1917 (office) Traira, Basillo

1915 - 1922 Urquhart, A D, electrical engineer

1923 - 1925 Sadlier Ltd, R C, customs agents

1926 - 1927 Brice A G, customs agents

1928 Vacant

1929 - 1930 Gills Carrying & Baggage Agency (A Gill)

1931 - 1935 Vacant

1935 - 1946 Sherborne F J, customs agent

1947 - 1949 Fiocco Giovanni, tailor

No. 13 (21)

1899 BERESFORD & NEVILLE, barristers, solicitors & notaries, public & commissioners for taking affidavits in the Supreme Courts of W.A., N.S.W. & S.A.

1899 - 1900

Maxwell, Andrew, fire claim adjuster

Yeats, Jabez G, baggage agent

1900 Forbes, Alexander, mercantile broker

1901 - 1903 Yeats, Jabez G, baggage agent

1905 DIAMOND EXPRESS (H W Petherick, manager) customs, baggage, shipping & forwarding agents

1906 - 1927 PROUT, George E, London accountant & licensed customs & general commission agent

1909 - 1920 Gorrie & Co, independent agents

1915 -1922 (office) Riley, Mrs A

1917 - 1922 Sadleir, R C, customs agent

1923 - 1927 (office) Eardley, Mrs Jane

1925 Brice A G, customs agent

1926 - 1927 Gorrie & Co, independent agents & (office) Ross, Miss L

1928 Vacant

1929

Cowie, John A, sharebroker & Wild, Aubrey M, customs and forwarding agent

National Mutual Life Association Of Australasia (J A Cowie, agent) & Brown, Edward, carrier

1930 Brice and Co. Ltd, A E store

1931 - 1938 vacant

1938 - 1940 Tortur, Les

1940 - 1941 Rodriguez & Lee, wool merchants (store)

1941 - 1943 vacant

1944 - 1946 Gill's Carrying Agency, carriers

1947 - 1949 Shamrock Tea Rooms, refreshment room

No. 15 (23)

1899 Collyer, A F, indentor

1899 - 1903 Twinem, John, estate agent

1900 BERESFORD & NEVILLE, barristers, solicitors & notaries, public & commissioners for taking affidavits in the Supreme Courts of W.A., N.S.W. & S.A.

1900 - 1903

SANDOVER & CO. WILLIAM, iron, hardware & machinery merchants, wholesale & retail ironmongers Union Oil Co. (William Sandover & Co., representatives), oil merchants

1900 - 1901 Alliance Marine & General Assurance Co. Limited (William Sandover & Co., agents)

1901 - 1903 BERESFORD, Richard, de la Poer, solicitor

1905 Adams & Co. (G. H.), wine & spirit merchants

1907 United Insurance Co Ltd. (fire & marine) (C.H. Cray, district inspector)

1907 - 1909 Ferguson Limited, J.M. (J, Cowan, manager), timber & hardware merchants

1913 Papaaoine, John, fruiterer

1914 Magrciplis, Antonio, fruiterer

1915 - 1916 Kakuloes, S, fruiterer

1917 Kakulas, Varthelamos, fruiterer & Lanzer, S

1918 Fermanis, Gregory G

1919 - 1922 Kakulas, Atherinos, fruiterer

1923 - 1932 Urquhart, A D, electrical engineer

1933 - 1935 vacant

1938 - 1946 WA Temperance League, association

1942 - 1946 Wray Thomas, shipping & forwarding agent

1947 - 1949 Fremantle Refrigerating Co, emgrs-refrigeration

No. 17 (25)

1899

Central Queensland Meat Export Co. Limited (F A Jaggard, representative) Sandover & Co. (William), iron, hardware & machinery Merchants, wholesale & retail ironmonger

Alliance Marine & General Assurance Co. Limited (William Sandover & Co. agents)

Union Oil Co. (William Sandover & Co., representatives), oil merchants

1905 Levy, L, furniture warehouse

1907 - 1908 Learmonth, Duffy & Co., auctioneers & commission agents

1911 - 1925 Re & Co Guiseppe, importers

1926 - 1949 Vergona & Co O, Italian importers

No. 21 & No. 23

1897 - 1899

Maxwell, Andrew

BERESFORD RICHARD DE LA POER, barrister, solicitor & notary public & commissioner for Taking affidavits in the Supreme Courts of W A Victoria, N S W & S A

Collyer, A F, indentor

1897 - 1902

Yeates, Jabez G, baggage agent

Twinem, John, estate agent

1900

Forbes, Alexander, mercantile broker

BERESFORD & NEVILLE

Perth Alliance Marine & General Assurance Co. Limited (William Sandover & Co., agents)

Union Oil Co. (William Sandover & Co. representatives), oil merchants

1900 - 1901 SANDOVER & CO. (WILLIAM)

1904 Vincent, Mrs. M A, refreshment rooms

1906

Sears, J, Refreshment Rooms

Watsons & Co. (William), dairy produce merchants

1907 - 1922

W M Watson, Refreshment Rooms

Watson’s Supply Stores - Dairy Products Merchants

1922 - 1949 Watson’s Supply Stores - Dairy Products Merchants

1955 - Purchased by the Waterside Workers' Federation

2002, no 15 was Life Editions Bookbinders; no 17 was Marine Surveyors, Magazines & Journals, Tax Accountants & Graphic Design

In 2012 - Sergio Guazzelli opened Blink Cafe at no 19

2002-2021 nos 21-23 became Notre Dame University, Admissions Office

Owstons Buildings corner Mouat and High Sts