Light Square
1928 Gordon Walker, State Library of South Australia / 2023 Alexander Cocks
A horse and cart trot towards Currie Street where three men hurriedly cross the busy intersection. Meanwhile a hatted individual inspects the City Mission Hall (constructed in 1877-1878) - an empty pram is parked by the entrance, suggesting the parent and child might be inside.
Standing to the right of this structure is a factory and warehouse constructed in 1883 for R. Dixson and Co., a supplier, importer and manufacturer of tobacco products, including cigars and cigarettes.
This ornate building with walls of bluestone, redbrick and stucco decorations, is the result of the collaborative partnership between colonial architects James Cumming (1826-1901) and Edward Davies (1852-1927), whose work includes Gays Arcade (constructed in 1885, adjoining Adelaide Arcade).
R. Dixson and Co. would retain ownership of these premises before they were acquired by the British and Australasian Tobacco Company in 1904, remaining so until the onset of World War I. Various merchants followed up until 1930 when it was acquired by George Chapman Ltd, a producer of cured bacon, who occupied the factory until 1965.
In recent years the building has seen a significant transformation, having undergone a $9-million-dollar restoration for use as Aurora Restaurant, and ‘Light’ - an Arts-focussed not-for-profit organisation and charity.
The old City Mission Hall, however, has suffered - recently gutted, its facade retained (obscured by trees), and a multilevel apartment tower constructed in its place.