Memory box
Even the real estate industry, which often seems entirely future-focused, has a heritage of its own. Land agents Gosling and Higgins built premises in Frankton’s High Street in 1911 and these also became the focus for a number of local political and social activities.
Having operated in Frankton from
c.1906, WA Gosling was one of the agents marketing the Maeroa Estate in November 1910, offering 39 ‘nice building sections’ near the Frankton Railway Station. By the end of the following year he was in partnership with WS Higgins (William Stephen, c.1869-1941). Both men seem to have been keen sportsmen, which presumably explains why they hosted the AGM of the Frankton Cricket Club in their rooms in September 1911 and that of the Frankton Tennis Club in late September
1912.
William Aubrey Gosling (1877-1968) was also, albeit briefly, the town clerk and returning officer for the Frankton Town Board, which rented his office for its use.
Gosling and Higgins’ building hosted the ‘first meeting of the newly-elected Frankton Town Board’ in early October
1912; the attendees were Messrs Jolly, Aitken, Ellis, Rowland, Tapp and Johnson.
In the same month the Frankton Town Band took up Gosling and Higgins’ offer of free use of their office as a practice rooms; Higgins was vice-president of the band, which would explain the connection.
The two-storey building looks as if it is still waiting for other commercial buildings to be erected alongside it.
At first glance its year of construction and first floor fenestration, with its double hood mouldings, attract attention but then the authenticity of the verandah posts also become apparent. The first floor casement windows with their multi-pane uppers signal the bungalow era is under way and it is only the intrinsic symmetry of the fac¸ ade that evokes the legacy of the commercial classicism of the 19th century.
By the 1970s the building was occupied by a hostel and ‘opportunity shop’ run by St Vincent De Paul; today it appears to be vacant but still in largely authentic condition.
Sometimes what might be described as second-tier heritage buildings get overlooked in the presence of a landmark.
Such is arguably the case with the former Gosling and Higgins’ building, given that it is just along the road from the iconic Frankton Hotel.
Nevertheless the proximity of the two buildings to one another enhances the heritage significance of both, revealing the context in which both hospitality providers and business owners wanted to be close to the town centre and the Frankton Railway Station.
For that reason, and because of its own intrinsic historic and architectural values, the former Gosling and Higgins’ building probably deserves a place on the heritage schedule of the Hamilton City Council’s district plan.