Historic sign found at site demolition
A historic landmark from Invercargill’s past has been revealed during the demolition of the inner city block.
A sign from the former Brown Owl building, possibly the country’s first licensed restaurant, was uncovered next to the Government Life building set for demolition.
The Brown Owl was a tearoom, milkbar and cake shop from the 1920s to the 1940s before becoming a licensed restaurant after World War II.
After 38 years of prohibition in Invercargill, The Brown Owl became one of the Invercargill Licensing Trust’s first trading establishments in 1944.
It was one of the few venues that sat wives and children in an environment where alcohol was served.
Invercargill Central public relations manager Amy Hibbs said the discovery was a pleasant surprise and was the second significant sign that had been discovered during the demolition so far.
The first was a Texaco sign, which was planned to be displayed at Bill Richardson’s Transport World.
While it was possible that items relating to The Brown Owl would be discovered at the site, it was not known to be there and they did not know what else could be found during the demolition, Hibbs said.
The sign was currently on display on Esk St and would be taken to storage and coated for preservation, she said.
Hibbs was unable to confirm if the demolition of the city block would be delayed due to the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday that all unnecessary businesses would close due to Covid-19 .
They were exploring options for where the sign could be displayed, she said.
Further items were likely to be found when the floor slabs started to be removed, she said.
Demolition of the Invercargill city block bordering Esk, Dee, Kelvin and Tay streets began on January 23. The block is earmarked for the city redevelopment, which would cost an estimated $165 million. The Invercargill City Council has committed $30 million into the development and has asked ratepayers to commit another $16 million.