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LESSER'S STORES (FORMER)

Other Name COLERAINE IGA SUPERMARKET Location 88a Whyte Street, COLERAINE VIC 3315 - Property No 1092 File Number 183 Level Stage 2 study complete

[1/1] 23314 Lesser s Store Former

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The two brick stores known as Lesser's Stores which are located on the south side of Whyte Street, between Gage and Winter Streets in the Central Business District of Coleraine. These stores have been much altered, and converted into a Supermarket. The stores have corrugated iron gabled roofs and a large brick storehouse attached to the rear. The shopfront and verandah are much altered, as is the timber parapet. These stores were built in 1859 by Abraham Lesser, an important local businessman. The Lesser family continued to operate their business from these stores for nearly 80 years. The buildings are the earliest remaining stores in Coleraine, providing a focal points of the town since their establishment in 1859.

How is it significant?
The former Lesser's Stores are of historical significance to the township of Coleraine and Southern Grampians Shire.

Why is it significant?
The former Lesser's Stores are of historical significance to the township of Coleraine and the surrounding district as the earliest surviving stores in Coleraine. They have continuously provided a commercial focal point for the town for nearly 150 years. The stores are of further historical significance for their association with the Lesser family, who were an important and influential family within Coleraine upto the 1930s.