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Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the
Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson. It is New Zealand's lea ...
,
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, New Zealand's main population centre. The northern end is at
Queens Wharf Queens Wharf is a multi-purpose venue in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia with a cafe, pub, restaurant, observation tower and ferry wharf built as part of the redevelopment of the Hunter River foreshore. Opened in May 1988 by Queen Elizabe ...
on the
Auckland waterfront The Auckland waterfront (rarely the Auckland harbourfront) is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitematā Harbour coastline in Auckland, New Zealand. Previously mostly dominated by Ports of Auckland uses, from the 2000s on it is becoming ...
, adjacent to the
Britomart Transport Centre Britomart Transport Centre, also known as Britomart railway station, is the public transport hub in the central business district of Auckland and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk railway line. It combines a railway station ...
and the Downtown Ferry Terminal. The road is close to straight, the southern end being almost three kilometres away in a south-southwesterly direction on the
Karangahape Road Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flight of resident ...
ridge, close to the residential suburbs in the interior of the
Auckland isthmus The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland, including the CBD. The isthmus i ...
.


Geography

Named after
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
, Queen Street was an early development of the new town of Auckland (founded in 1840), although initially the main street was intended to be
Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...
, running parallel to the shore of
Commercial Bay Commercial Bay ( mi, Onepanea) was a bay on the southern side of the Waitematā Harbour that defined the original extent of the Auckland waterfront in Auckland, New Zealand. It was framed by two substantial headlands, Smale's Point dividing ...
. The early route of Queen Street led up the middle of a gully following the bank of the
Waihorotiu Stream Waihorotiu (from the Māori language, Māori Wai Horotiu), sometimes called the Waihorotiu Stream and the 'Queen Street River', is a stream that ran down the Queen Street, Auckland, Queen Street gully in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, into the Wa ...
(later bounded in as the ' Ligar Canal'). This canal was culverted beneath the street from the 1870s onward, allowing for further development of the street to be undertaken. The course of the stream is still reflected today in the slight bend of lower Queen Street. From north of Shortland Street, Queen Street is built on land reclaimed from the sea in the late 19th century (see
Auckland waterfront The Auckland waterfront (rarely the Auckland harbourfront) is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitematā Harbour coastline in Auckland, New Zealand. Previously mostly dominated by Ports of Auckland uses, from the 2000s on it is becoming ...
article). There are several other 'Queen Streets' in the greater Auckland area, mostly in suburbs that were separate towns before being absorbed by a growing central city. Auckland was also called the "Queen City" since before the turn of the 20th century, though that term is now overshadowed by the nickname "City of Sails".


Demographics

The statistical areas of Queen Street, which encompasses a full block either side of Queen Street north of Wellesley Street, and Queen Street South West, which includes the area west of Queen Street to Vincent Street and Pitt Street south of Wellesley Street, cover and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Queen Street had a population of 3,807 at the
2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...
, an increase of 639 people (20.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,527 people (67.0%) since the
2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
. There were 1,860 households, comprising 2,076 males and 1,725 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.2 males per female, with 123 people (3.2%) aged under 15 years, 1,851 (48.6%) aged 15 to 29, 1,626 (42.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 204 (5.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 46.3% European/
Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...
, 5.0%
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
, 2.8% Pacific peoples, 41.4%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 9.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 73.6, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.5% had no religion, 27.0% were
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, 0.4% had Māori religious beliefs, 5.0% were
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 3.5% were
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, 2.8% were
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and 2.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 1,329 (36.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 162 (4.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 591 people (16.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,953 (53.0%) people were employed full-time, 630 (17.1%) were part-time, and 204 (5.5%) were unemployed.


History


Street, stream and canal

Māori settlements in the Queen Street area were along the local stream; Te Wai Horotiu (The water of Horotiu) or
Waihorotiu Stream Waihorotiu (from the Māori language, Māori Wai Horotiu), sometimes called the Waihorotiu Stream and the 'Queen Street River', is a stream that ran down the Queen Street, Auckland, Queen Street gully in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, into the Wa ...
. The stream as a food source and for other purposes. It ran from the ridge along Karagahape Road towards the sea. Horotiu is the name of a
taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected ...
(guardian spirit) which was believed to live in the stream. In 1841 colonial settlers built a number of wooden buildings along the western side, following the general path of the Waihorotiu Stream according to the plans set out by surveyor
Felton Mathew Felton Mathew (1801 – 26 November 1847) was New Zealand's first Surveyor General. Central Auckland was laid out by him. Felton Mathew Avenue was named after him, and is a difficult incline amongst the cycling community in Auckland. Early life ...
. While the street was metalled in 1843 ('metal' is a New Zealand term for
gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the Unit ...
), the natural stream still often overflowed its banks, and the area was still swampy. This led to canalisation and later covering-over of the stream.History of Queen Street
(from the
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...
website. Retrieved 15 August 2007.)


Mainstreet of Auckland

After a fire in 1858 destroyed around 50 buildings in High Street and Shortland Street, the commercial district began to shift towards Queen Street instead, and the first brick and plaster buildings of the 1860s started to cement this move, with the Bank of New Zealand building (only the façade extant today) being one of the first examples. Fires however still continued to plague the new town, with one in 1873 wiping out another 54 buildings in the Queen Street area between Wellesley Street West and Grey Street (today Greys Avenue). The fires, amongst other things, led to the establishment of the Auckland Volunteer Fire Service. In the 1880s, the first horse-drawn buses began connecting Queen Street with areas such as
Ponsonby Road Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north–south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road. A predominantly upper-middl ...
and
Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...
. In 1900, the first motorcar was admired on the street, and in 1902 the street was finally asphalted, the first street in New Zealand. The same year the first electric trams also arrived, to provide services until 1956. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a large number of imposing buildings constructed, such as the
Smith & Caughey's Smith & Caughey Ltd, trading as Smith & Caughey's, is a chain of two mid-sized, upscale department stores in Auckland, New Zealand. One of the oldest surviving retail businesses in New Zealand, it was established in 1880 by Ulster-born Mari ...
building, the
Auckland Town Hall Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian building on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Council meetings and hearings), as well as its famed Great Hall and ...
and the General Post Office at the waterfront, later to become the
Britomart Transport Centre Britomart Transport Centre, also known as Britomart railway station, is the public transport hub in the central business district of Auckland and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk railway line. It combines a railway station ...
. By that time, the street was popular for events such as parades and festivities, as well as for political activities such as the strike demonstrations of 1913. The Queen Street riots broke out in the adjacent Aotea Square in late 1984. During the second half of the 20th century, many of the older buildings on Queen Street were demolished to make space for larger office buildings.


Character

Queen Street is known by reputation all over the country, even by people who have never seen it. It gives its name to the most expensive square in the New Zealand version of ''
Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
'' and to a somewhat disrespectful description of business people with rural investment interests (but lacking farming expertise): ' Queen Street farmers'. The street was immortalised by
The Front Lawn The Front Lawn was a New Zealand musical/theatrical duo founded by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair in 1985. In 1989 and 1990, they were joined by actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand. The Front Lawn were known for their live performances, and toured ex ...
with their song ''(It started on) Queen Street''. The street has been the site of numerous parades, marches and other events of political, cultural or sporting nature. Together with adjacent High Street, it is the main retail precinct of the central city, with most national store, bank and restaurant franchises having a branch on the street. Several important other local businesses, such as the
Smith & Caughey's Smith & Caughey Ltd, trading as Smith & Caughey's, is a chain of two mid-sized, upscale department stores in Auckland, New Zealand. One of the oldest surviving retail businesses in New Zealand, it was established in 1880 by Ulster-born Mari ...
department store, have flagship branches here. The street sees very high pedestrian numbers, estimated by some as up to 10 times as high as on Broadway in Newmarket, seen as Queen Street's closest shopping street rival in Auckland.


Transport and foot traffic

Prior to a 2006–2008 street upgrade (see below), Council figures showed that over 50,000 pedestrians, 40,000 public transport users and 20,000 people in private vehicles used Queen Street daily. The Council anticipated that the private car share would drop by around 15%. An editorial of ''The New Zealand Herald'' accused Council of using overestimated public transport user numbers for political purposes to support its bus lane plans.


Former tram network

Until December 1956, trams provided public transport along Queen Street, and it was the only street in New Zealand with
grand union A grand union is a rail track junction where two double-track railway or tramway lines cross at grade, often in a street intersection or crossroads. A total of sixteen railroad switches (sets of points) allow streetcars (or in rarer instal ...
s, double-track to double-track junctions, where trams could go to all directions from all directions. These junctions were at the intersections with Customs Street and Wellesley Street. Since the closure of Auckland's tram network,
Balaclava Junction Balaclava Junction is the only extant grand union in Australia. Located at the intersection of Balaclava Road and Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North on the Melbourne tram network, trams can go in all directions from all directions. It is the only s ...
on
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
's
tram network A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
has been the sole grand union left in the Southern Hemisphere.


2006—2008 upgrade

Public perception in the early 2000s was that Queen Street had lost some of its good reputation in the previous decades, with a rundown and uncoordinated streetscape and the loss of several prestigious retailers cited as either causes or effects.
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...
decided to address the issue of the 'tired' Queen Street through a major redevelopment of the street. This involved the widening and relaying of footpaths with basalt kerbstones and paving. Granite insets, designed in consultation with the local Māori ( Ngati Whatua iwi), as well as recycled redchip pavers from the existing footpath, were used to denote special areas – such as those related to the existence of the old Waihorotiu Stream. New street furniture (such as multi-purpose poles for lighting, signage and pennants) and new trees and other landscaping were added to create a 'boulevard effect'.Auckland's CBD Into the future – Queen Street upgrade
(from the
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...
website)
The
liquidambar ''Liquidambar'', commonly called sweetgum (star gum in the UK), gum, redgum, satin-walnut, or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated in Hamamelidaceae ...
s and Nikau Palms chosen for the new design touched off heated public discussion in 2006 as their inclusion came at the destruction of previous, established trees (which were not native flora of New Zealand, and thus not retained in the new landscaping plan). The 2006–2008 project repeatedly increased in cost, from NZ$23 million to around NZ$43.5 million, with some aspects (such as an improved entrance to Myers Park) falling victim to the blowout. While Council noted in June 2007 that progress had often been quicker than expected, the cost overruns, and the long duration of the construction works – which substantially affected pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic as well as retail sales – made the upgrade unpopular in public, at least during the duration. It also became a problem issue for
Dick Hubbard Richard John Hubbard (born 18 November 1946) is a New Zealand businessman and politician, founder and former principal of Hubbard Foods in Auckland, and mayor of Auckland City from 2004 to 2007. He was elected mayor of Auckland City on 9 Octob ...
in his failed campaign for re-election to
Mayor of Auckland The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland Region in New Zealand, which it controls as a unitary authority. The position exists since October 2010 after the amal ...
in 2007. The upgrade is now considered to have generally been a success, and it won the 2009
Urban Design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban d ...
Award of the
New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents 90 per cent of all registered architects in New Zealand, and promotes architecture that enhances the New Zealand livi ...
, which commended it for creating a quality public realm and sense of place.New Zealand Architecture Award Winners 2009
(from the
New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents 90 per cent of all registered architects in New Zealand, and promotes architecture that enhances the New Zealand livi ...
website. Accessed 7 June 2009.)


Upgrade priorities

To accommodate construction work, Auckland City Council reduced traffic lanes for vehicles to one lane in each direction in early 2007. A proposal was made for this to become permanent, with extended public transport provisions such as bus lanes and cycle lanes proposed for the outer lanes. Also proposed was a 30 km/h speed limit. Committee discussions and public consultation resulted in four physical lanes being retained, mainly to safeguard the street layout for future public transport options such as light rail. The changes included further improvements to pedestrian facilities, with the total footpath area increasing by 20% to almost 14,000 m2, and longer traffic signal phases for pedestrians, while three new signalised pedestrian crossings were introduced mid-block, at accident 'black spots'. Also undertaken was a reduction of on-street parking spaces from 81 to 51, part of the prioritisation for pedestrians. The remaining spaces became dedicated short-term parking (i.e. drop-offs, loading). Not included in the design were dedicated bus bays, noted as a serious oversight by some critics, causing potential delays on the proposed bus lanes.


Buildings and attractions

At the northern (waterfront) end of Queen Street are several significant buildings. These include: * Auckland Ferry Building, 1911. Alexander Wiseman architect. This brick and sandstone building is in the Edwardian Baroque style. It was renovated in 1986 at a cost of $11 million. * Endeans Building, 1914–15. Corner of Queen Street and Quay Street. Built by John Endean, a prominent hotel proprietor, in 1905 and rebuilt 10 years later after a fire. Chilwell and Trevithick architects. The upper floors of this reinforced concrete building were converted to apartments during the 1990s. Listed as a Category II heritage building. * (Former) Chief Post Office, 1910. John Campbell architect. Opened by Prime Minister
William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...
before a crowd of over 8,000. This Edwardian Baroque building of limestone and granite has been incorporated into the
Britomart Transport Centre Britomart Transport Centre, also known as Britomart railway station, is the public transport hub in the central business district of Auckland and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk railway line. It combines a railway station ...
. Campbell was the Government Architect, and consequently this building has similar features to the
New Zealand Parliament Buildings New Zealand Parliament Buildings ( mi, Ngā whare Paremata) house the New Zealand Parliament and are on a 45,000 square metre site at the northern end of Lambton Quay, Wellington. They consist of the Edwardian neoclassical-style Parliament Ho ...
in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, which were constructed around the same time. * (Former) Custom House, 1888. Thomas Mahoney architect, 22 Customs St. This building displays the
mansard A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
roofs typical of the
French Second Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France. Historians in the 1930s a ...
Style. In 1909 an addition was built to the south ow demolished Prior to the Town Hall's opening in 1911 several departments of the Auckland City Council were located here. The Custom House was renovated for retail use in the 1980s. Between Customs Street and Wellesley Street, Queen Street is lined with retail and office buildings. This section of the street is where the majority of the high-rise buildings are located. These are mostly 20th century in origin, although a number of 19th century structures survive. Many large corporations, insurance companies and banks had substantial buildings on Queen Street and in some cases their head offices were located here rather than in Wellington (the capital). The most significant buildings along the middle part of the street are the: * Dilworth Building, 1927. Gummer and Ford architects. 22 Queen St. Envisaged as one of a pair of buildings flanking the entrance to Queen Street and thus being a "Gateway to Auckland". The use of electric cranes rather than hydraulic meant a very short construction period. The Dilworth Building is a
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
structure encased in Portland stone. William Gummer had been trained in the offices of
Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...
, and this building shows influence of this connection. * The Queens Arcade – 34 Queen Street. 1920s Neo-classical building linking the eastern side of Queen Street with Customs Street. *
Imperial Hotel Imperial Hotel or Hotel Imperial may refer to: Hotels Australia * Imperial Hotel, Ravenswood, Queensland * Imperial Hotel, York, Western Australia Austria * Hotel Imperial, Vienna India * The Imperial, New Delhi Ireland * Imperial Hotel, D ...
– 66 Queen Street. A Victorian building from 1883 that is now used as a backpackers, the Imperial Hotel incorporated a building that had previously been offices for the
Auckland Harbour Board The Auckland Harbour Board was a public body that operated the ports of both Auckland and Onehunga from 1871 to 1988 and was dissolved in 1989. Its successor organisation is Ports of Auckland, which assumed the possessions and responsibilities of ...
and the Gas Board. * Guardian Trust Building – 105 Queen Street. A 1919
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
structure distinguished by bronze entrance columns. The architect William Gummer had been trained in the offices of
Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...
, and this building shows influence of this connection. The stone used on the Queen Street façade and in the lobby is Cloudy Bay Marble from Nelson. * The Deloitte Centre – 80 Queen Street. New tower designed by Woods Bagot Architects which incorporates the Jean Batten State Building. * Jean Batten State Building – Named after the pioneer New Zealand aviator
Jean Batten Jane Gardner Batten (15 September 1909 – 22 November 1982), commonly known as Jean Batten, was a New Zealand aviator, making a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world. She is notable for completing the first solo flight fro ...
. Designed by
John Mair John Mair may refer to: *John Major (philosopher) John Major (or Mair; also known in Latin as ''Joannes Majoris'' and ''Haddingtonus Scotus''; 1467–1550) was a Scottish philosopher, theologian, and historian who was much admired in his day ...
, government architect in 1937 and completed in 1940. This was intended as office space for Government departments in Auckland which had outgrown their premises in the Custom House in nearby Customs Street. The building was used by the American High Command as their headquarters for the duration of the Second World War. * South British Insurance Building – 15 Shortland Street. 1927 building by R F Draffin for the South British Insurance Company – the lobby is arguably the best Art-Deco interior in Auckland. The addition to the east dates from 1968 and is on the site of a Victorian Pub. * General Building – 33 Shortland Street. Neo-Classical skyscraper built for the
Yorkshire Insurance Company The Yorkshire Insurance Company was an English insurance company. The company was founded in 1824, in York, as the Yorkshire Fire and Life Insurance Company. Its objects were initially "to effect insurance against loss by fire and on lives and sur ...
. Designed by W R Bloomfield in 1928. Bloomfield was probably the first Maori architect. The Shortland Street facade of this building was extended in 1977. Few people looking at the building would be aware that the right hand side of the building is from 1928 and the left hand from 1977 as the classical detailing was perfectly replicated. * Bank of New Zealand Building, 1865. Leonard Terry architect. 125 Queen St. Built of beige sandstone imported from
Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, Australia, this building was originally only five bays wide, and in 1882 two more bays were added on the Queen Street facade. In 1986 this building was substantially altered, and now only the facade remains, attached to a large high rise office building. * Vulcan Buildings, 1928. Holman, Moses & Watkins architects. This elegant building stands prominently on the southern corner of Vulcan Lane and Queen Street, and has design influences principally from
Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
, but also the English Arts and Crafts movement. A defining feature is the
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...
on the top of the building. The building also marks a significant change in built form of Central Auckland, as the city was being transformed from the low-rise buildings of the 19th century to the high-rise buildings of the 20th century.''A Guide to the Architecture of Central Auckland'' – Errol Haarhoff. Balasoglou Books 2003 *
Landmark House A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
, formerly Auckland Electric Power Board Building 1927. Wade & Bartley architects. Cnr Queen St and Durham St east. This is an example of the early
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
skyscraper style. The design emphasises the vertical, drawing on references from Chicago and New York skyscrapers of the period. The Auckland Electric Power Board used the building as a form of advertising by flood lighting the exterior. * Queen Victoria Building, Auckland, formerly John Courts Building. Designed by John Currie in 1899 for the Direct Supply Company. Cnr Queen St and Victoria St East. The first three stories are in the Victorian Italianate style. Internally the building retains its timber columns and floor structure. In 1910 John Court opened his department store in the building and in 1916 added three stories in the same style. * AMP Building – 220 Queen Street. 1962 Modernist New York Style Skyscraper. This building is an example of a Glass curtain wall and is distinguished by crisp metal detailing. Designed by Jack Manning for Thorp Cutter Pickmere & Douglas Architects. *
Strand Arcade The Strand Arcade is a heritage-listed Victorian-style retail arcade located at 195-197 Pitt Street in the heart of the Sydney central business district, between Pitt Street Mall and George Street in the City of Sydney local government area ...
233–237 Queen St. Commissioned by local businessman
Arthur Myers Sir Arthur Mielziner Myers (19 May 1868 – 9 October 1926) was a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Auckland City from 1905 to 1909, Member of the House of Representatives from 1910 to 1921, and a Cabinet Minister. Today he is remembered ...
, built in 1900 with the latest in lifts, ventilation and lighting (the basement restaurant could seat 700). Renovated in 1970 this Edwardian shopping arcade has remained largely unaltered. * Auckland Savings Bank Building, 1884. Edward Bartley architect. 260 Queen St. This is an example of the mid Victorian italianate style. The facade displays columns and panels of coloured marble and granite. In 1977 this building became a
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
restaurant, although the facade and interior remain largely intact due to a sensitive renovation. Beyond the Wellesley Street intersection lies the midtown district, with its entertainment and civic focus, centred on Aotea Square. Here are located most of the important civic buildings, including the: * Auckland Civic Theatre, 1929. Bohringer, Taylor & Johnson architects. 269 Queen St. This is one of the best remaining examples of an atmospheric theatre. The monumental
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
stripped-classical facade hides a lavish Hollywood inspired interior. The lobby is a reproduction of an Indian rock temple decorated with 500 elephants. The auditorium is decorated as an open courtyard in ancient
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
, the ceiling imitating the night sky with hundreds of electric stars placed as they appear in the southern sky. Extensively renovated in 1994 it is now part of a larger entertainment and retail complex. The renovation fixed several problems including the undersized stage and inadequate backstage facilities. * St. James Theatre – 316 Queen Street. 1927 theatre building in the 1920s Hollywood/Spanish style designed for vaudeville but wired for talking pictures in 1929. The stage capacity, acoustics and seating sightlines meant this theatre was superior to the other venues of the period (His Majesty's, King's Theatre, and the Auckland Opera House); even after the appearance of the Civic it still stood out as the best venue for traditional live theatre. The landmark turret above the Queen street entrance is possibly still concealed behind modernist cladding. * Bledisloe House, 1959. A modernist glass facade office block designed for Central Government services as part of the proposed Civic Centre. Designed by Gordon Wilson with Jack Beere and named after Lord Bledisloe (Governor-General of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935). This was the only one of a complex of six identical buildings planned for the environs of what is now Aotea Square. The other five buildings were to be the new Town Hall, a City Administration block, a new Public Library, public Art Gallery and a final office block to be rented out as commercial office space. In the middle of this complex was to be the Auckland Centennial Theatre and a public square. The Admin Bldg was eventually built in 1966 in a different form and the theatre appeared in 1989 as the Aotea Centre. The other four buildings would have required the demolition of all the other buildings on this city block including the 1911 Town Hall and the Civic Theatre. The Bledisloe Building was renovated in 2014 by Auckland Council. * Aotea Centre, 1990. Ewen Wainscott architect. Initially proposed in 1949 as the Auckland Centennial Hall, construction of this building was delayed for several decades. Intended to supplant the town hall, when it opened it was found to have acoustical problems resulting in a costly refit. Complaints from performers over many years resulted in the renovation of the Town Hall. The lobby of the Aotea Centre contains many art works by New Zealand artists. * Council Administration Block, 1966. Tibor K.Donner architect. Considered a positive example of 1950s
modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
, which contrasts with the 1911 Town Hall on the far side of Aotea Square. Is considered to be Auckland's first 'skyscraper'. *
Auckland Town Hall Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian building on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Council meetings and hearings), as well as its famed Great Hall and ...
, 1911. J. Clark & Sons architects. 303 Queen St. A
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
firm designed this building in the English
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style. It is built of Melbourne Bluestone and
Oamaru stone Oamaru stone, sometimes called whitestone, is a hard, compact limestone, quarried at Weston, near Oamaru in Otago, New Zealand. Oamaru stone was used on many of the grand public buildings in the towns and cities of the southern South Island, e ...
with art nouveau leadlight windows. The main auditorium has excellent acoustics being based upon the famous
Gewandhaus Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The f ...
Concert Hall in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, Germany. The large
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...
was donated by Sir Henry Brett, a former mayor of Auckland. This building was renovated in the late 1990s and continues to be widely considered as Auckland's premier concert venue. Further up Queen Street beyond Mayoral Drive is the uptown district, centred on Myers Park. This is often referred to as Upper Queen Street, although that name actually refers to a separate continuation of Queen Street on the other side of the K'Road ridge. The most significant buildings in this area are the: * 'Queen Street Shops' – 456–488 Queen Street. Range of Edwardian retail buildings from 1909 onwards. Designed by two Auckland architects, T W May and Alexander Wiseman. These form a harmonious ensemble facing Myers Park but also retain many original features often removed from other structures; the curved corrugated iron verandahs are intact and held up by vertical posts, and virtually all the shops' fronts are intact including the glazed tile work surrounds. * Theosophical Society Building, 1923. Henry Robinson architect. Located at the Queen St entrance to Myers Park, this is a fine example of interwar
neo-classical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
for the
Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...
replacing an earlier structure from 1912 located further down Queen Street. Recently renovated as a ' gentlemen's club' called 'The White House'. * Myers Free Kindergarten 1916 B.Chilwell & R.Trevithick architects. Designed as a large homely cottage this brick and stucco building is located in the middle of the 1914 Myers Park. An example of Arts & Crafts architecture which still operates as a
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
. *
Auckland Baptist Tabernacle The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle is a Baptist church located near the corner of Queen Street and Karangahape Road, at the edge of Auckland central business district in New Zealand. It is affiliated with the Baptist Churches of New Zealand. Histo ...
1884 Edmund Bell architect. Near the corner of Queen St & Karangahape Road. Large Imperial Roman temple. The interior has decorative ceiling stencilwork in the
neo-classical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
by Samuel and Charles Blomfield. Beyond the Karangahape Road ridge the southernmost 500 metres of the street is called Upper Queen Street, and it crosses the eastern part of the Central Motorway Junction, the largest interchange on the
New Zealand state highway network The New Zealand state highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Nearly 100 roads in the North and South Islands are state highways. All state highways are administered by the NZ Transport Agency. The highways were ...
.


References

*''The Lively Capital, Auckland 1840–1865'' – Una Platts, Avon Fine Prints Limited New Zealand 1971. *''The Heart of Colonial Auckland, 1865–1910'' – Terence Hodgson. Random Century NZ Ltd 1992. *''Colonial Architecture in New Zealand'' – John Stacpoole. A.H & A.W. Reed 1976. *''Decently And in Order, The Centennial History of the Auckland City Council'' – G.W.A Bush. Collins 1971. *''Auckland Through A Victorian Lens'' – William Main. Millwood Press 1977. *''Auckland City Heritage Walks'' – Susan Yoffe & Tania Mace, 2005.


External links


History of Queen Street
(from the
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...
website) {{coord, -36.849784, 174.764972, type:landmark_region:NZ, display=title Streets in Auckland Tourist attractions in Auckland Auckland CBD