WOLLONGONG ADVERTISER

Prominent citizen and businessman William Louis Howarth arrived in Wollongong sometime before 1900 with his wife Eliza and their two children, Gladys and Daphne.

Their third daughter Ruby was born in Wollongong. Mr Howarth was an alderman on Wollongong Council from 1914 to 1920 and again from 1929 to 1934. He held the position of mayor from 1929 to 1932.

The council approved Mr Howarth's plans for the construction of a new building on the northern side of upper Crown Street.

Excavations commenced in late December 1926 by first blasting the stone from the site to build a three-storey building. As it happened, a large stone flew across Crown Street and smashed the window of Anderson's mercery business. Just 12 months later, the building known as Howarth's Excelsior Hall was completed and advertised open for public inspection on Saturday, December 24, 1927.

In the early years the tenants of the ground floor of the building were Mr Fred Saidy, who opened the Star Value Centre selling textiles such as twill sheeting, casement cloth, calico and items such as golf shirts and men's pyjamas. His motto was "what costs 8 shillings and 6 pence elsewhere, at Saidy's you can buy it for 4 shillings 11 pence". He advertised his great final sale in September 1929. By December 1929 the Wollongong Industrial Co-Operative Society Ltd had outgrown its premises in Wollongong and transferred its grocery department to Howarth's building. The co-operative vacated the building before 1933, after which it was fitted out as a café. It was advertised as the New World Café, where one could sit down for a three course-meal or taste the hot pies, pasties and apple pies which were all made fresh daily on the premises. By March 1935 the New World Café moved further up Crown Street next to the public school in a small shop where they specialised in making all types of pies.

Mr Howarth's wife Eliza Jane died in August 1934 and four years later the family organised a memorial window depicting The Ascension for the eastern side of St Michael's church. The window was unveiled on December 18, 1938.

It had become known that the second floor of Howarth's Excelsior Hall was a ballroom and function centre. In 1937, Howarth's daughter Gladys, then Mrs Roberts, was operating the upper floor as a function centre and catering service. Living in the Excelsior Hall was Henry and Matilda Pearson who acted as caretakers and assisted Mrs Roberts in her business. Mrs Pearson was killed in a truck accident in February 1937 while returning home from a function with her husband and Mrs Roberts.

William Louis Howarth died at his residence in Market Street in October 1940, aged 76. One specific request he made before he passed away was that he wished to be buried as near as possible to "sun up" the morning after his death. His family arranged his burial for him the day after he died. Following his wishes, the family requested a private internment, which took place in Wollongong Cemetery at 7am.

By about 1940 McAllister and Agnew were operating their business from the building. By the 1950s they occupied all three floors. The ground floor was mainly furnishings, the second floor furniture and the manager's office, and the machinist who made all the soft furnishings, as well as the French polishers and carpet layers occupied the third floor.

Some years ago the awning on the front of the building collapsed and for some time it was propped up. The façade of the building has now been restored and many of the façades along that portion of Crown Street have during the last few years undergone much improvement with a coat of paint.

In all, Howarth's Excelsior building is now set up as three shops and today it is still an impressive building seeing that it was built 88 years ago.

Information courtesy of Carol Herben OAM.  Call 0409 832 854 or email sycado6@bigpond.net.au