Agora House

This two storey commercial building was constructed as the Townsville branch of shipping agents Howard Smith and Co. Ltd. The firm was established in Melbourne in the early 1850s and extended its operations into Central Queensland in 1870 and to Townsville in 1882. A branch office was established at Queen’s Wharf around 1900 and then the company leased a building in Flinders Street, owned by Aplin, Brown and Crawshay. The firm then purchased two adjoining vacant allotments and called upon Townsville architects Charles Lynch and Walter Hunt to design a new building. Contractors Hanson and Sons constructed the building that was occupied by March 1911. The building was designed with two storeys facing Flinders Street, and had offices for lease on the upper floor. The rear was single-storeyed, and accommodated the company's own offices for the manager, accountant, correspondence clerks and engineer. These were divided by low partitions in silky oak and oriental glass. The flat reinforced concrete roof included a large skylight. A second storey, with a clerestory, was added to this rear section in 1920. In 2013, the upper floor was converted into living quarters for the new owners who operate a gift shop below.