Rundle Mall, Adelaide

Rundle Mall is a pedestrian street mall located in Adelaide, South Australia. It was opened as a pedestrian mall in September 1976 by closing the section of Rundle Street between King William Street and Pulteney Street, to vehicular traffic. The street continues as Rundle Street (as before) to the east and Hindley Street to the west.

The pedestrian mall has become the centrepiece of Adelaide's city centre, home to some of the most expensive real estate in the state. It competes with the large shopping complexes in the suburbs, (e.g. Westfield Marion, Armada Arndale Shopping Centre, Westfield Tea Tree Plaza, etc.) In 2009, retail space directly on the mall leased for up to $3,700 per square metre per year.

The mall is home to the South Australian flagship stores of many large Australian retailers and many smaller independent and chain stores. The mall also features a number of arcades and plazas containing smaller boutiques and eateries. These include the Italianate-style Adelaide Arcade (also being the first retail establishment in Australia with electric lighting, and allegedly home to six ghosts), Regent Arcade, Gay's Arcade, City Cross, Southern Cross, Adelaide Central Plaza, Myer Centre, Renaissance Arcade, and Rundle Place.

There are usually several buskers performing in the mall, licensed by the Adelaide City Council. The mall's stores are generally open seven days a week.

History

Rundle Street

Rundle Street, from which the mall takes its name, is named after John Rundle, a member of the British House of Commons and an original director of the South Australia Company. The street was named on 23 May 1837 by the Street Naming Committee. In 1895, the first electric street lighting was installed at the intersection of Rundle Street (as it was then), King William Street and Hindley Street. It also had a tramline run through it when it was still part of Rundle Street.

Regent Theatre

The Regent Theatre, after which the Regent Arcade took its name, opened on 29 June 1928. It was one of the most ornate cinemas and glamorous picture theatres of its time, and, along with the Wondergraph in Hindley Street, was the first in Adelaide to feature talkies. After several conversions and changes of hands, including the creation of the Regent Arcade, it finally closed on 2004, after becoming part of a shopping centre. In April 2022 the upper level of the cinema opened as a Dymocks bookstore.

Pedestrianisation

In November 1972, the then South Australian Premier, Don Dunstan, issued the closure of the western part of Rundle Street to create Rundle Mall, due to extreme congestion caused by traffic and the increasing number of pedestrians. It opened on 1 September 1976. Other than police and other government vehicles, drivers need permission to drive on the pedestrian strip. The mall is a dry zone as well as a smoke-free zone.

Notable sites

The Rundle Mall Fountain is one of a pair which formerly stood at the entrance to the Jubilee Exhibition Building on North Terrace between 1887 and 1962 (the other is now located in the Creswell Gardens). When Rundle Mall was being established, the cast-iron fountain. painted in Victorian colours, was relocated to the centre of the intersection of the mall and Gawler Place; it was later moved to the entrance to Adelaide Arcade. The fountain bears a foundry plate showing it was manufactured in England by Andrew Handyside and Company.

There are several items of modern sculpture in the mall. The best-known is the tall ''The Spheres'' by Bert Flugelman; two large stainless steel spheres with a diameter of balanced one on top of the other (commonly referred to as the "Mall's Balls" or "Rundle Mall balls"), and is a common meeting place for visitors to the mall. Erected in 1977, they were commissioned by the then Hindmarsh Building Society (subsequently absorbed into the Adelaide Bank) and donated to the City of Adelaide to mark the building society's 1977 centenary.

Other sculpture includes a group of life-size bronze pigs − Horatio, Truffles, Augusta and Oliver - rooting around a rubbish bin. South African-born artist Marguerite Derricourt created the bronze sculptures in a national competition instigated by the City of Adelaide.

Of note is the historic Beehive Corner, completed in 1896. It lies at the western end of the Mall, on the corner of King William Street, and was originally owned by John Rundle. Beehive Corner is built in the Neo-gothic style, which is generally reserved for churches.

Not to be left in the dark, Rundle Mall also boasts the ELITEM Rundle Mall Super Screen—a 35SQM P12 LED display which broadcasts city and state notices as well as other local business messages. Another noteworthy large lighting display is the Rundle Lantern which marks the eastern end of Rundle Mall and the beginning of Rundle Street.

Towards the end of 2014, there was work being undertaken to demolish the café which was located near the junction with King William Street and build an open area replete with benches. The Adelaide City Council info centre was also relocated to the other end of the strip. More work was completed toward the end of 2014.

In 2013, there was giant cockroach statue added to the mall. This statue was salvaged from a junk yard and cleaned up, before being placed in the mall. Police reported two men for dragging the statue six metres along the mall.

In December 2020, there was a giant 2 metre tall steel pigeon statue placed at the Gawler Place entrance of the mall. The sculpture was commissioned by Adelaide City Council and was completed by South Australian artist Paul Sloan.

Development

In 1995−96, the mall received its first major upgrade. The upgrade saw most of the mall's fixtures replaced and the erection of permanent market stalls down the centre of the mall. The market stalls were later demolished as part of a 2013 redevelopment.

There were also some escalators in the middle of the Rundle mall in the 1990s, but this was taken down later.

In 2013, the Adelaide City Council commenced a $27 million upgrade of the mall that was completed in four stages over a 16-month period. New paving, benches, trees, bins, a multi-purpose structure and ground services were installed. The Rundle Mall master plan also included a catenary lighting system to be supported by four 20m poles at either end of the mall and brackets on a number of building facades.

In June 2015, it was announced that an additional cost of $3 million was required to complete the lighting system and to undertake further storm water works in the mall.

The catenary lighting system for the mall was completed in November 2015 after being delayed by several months.

Buildings and tenants

The majority of buildings on the Mall contain a small number of retail tenancies. There are also many larger arcades and shopping centres that lead off the Mall or blocks around it. No single company or organisation owns a significant proportion of the Mall's real estate.
A number of public laneways lead off the mall, such as Gawler Place, James Place, Charles Street, Twin Street, and No Fixed Address Lane. These are home to more retail tenants.

There are a number of arcades and plazas off the mall and its laneways, including:

*Adelaide Arcade, with Gay's Arcade leading off it
* Adelaide Central Plaza

*Charles Street Plaza

* Citi Centre Arcade

* City Cross Arcade

*Da Costa Arcade (off James Place)
* The Myer Centre

* Parc Arcade
*Regent Arcade
*Renaissance Arcade
*Rundle Mall Plaza
*Rundle Place
*Rundle Square
*Twin Plaza Arcade (off Twin Street)

Anchor tenants

Department stores:
* David Jones

*Kmart
*Myer
*Target (Pulteney Street)

Other large tenants:
*Apple Store
*Coles Supermarkets
* Dymocks Bookstore
*Harvey Norman
* H&M
*JB Hi-Fi
*Lincraft
*Rebel Sport
* Uniqlo
*Woolworths Supermarkets

Former major tenants:
*Amart Sports
*Best & Less
*Borders
* Cox-Foys
*Harris Scarfe
*Hoyts Cinemas
* John Martin's
*Radio Rentals
*Sanity
*Toys "R" Us
*Virgin Megastores

Gallery

File:Shopping Center SA.JPG, Interior of The Adelaide Arcade
File:Pop up florist, Rundle Mall.jpg, Pop up florist in the mall
File:Pop up drink stall, Rundle Mall.jpg, Pop up drink stall outside of Rundle Place
File:Rundle Mall Myer Centre view down.jpg, The atrium of the Myer Centre from the third floor
File:Pig bronze and bin - rundle mall.jpg, One of the famous bronze pigs
File:Adelaide's Apple Store.jpg, Apple Store, Rundle Mall, Adelaide
File:Closure for redevelopment, Rundle Mall.jpg, Rundle Mall in the evening, partially closed for redevelopment (May 2013)
File:Fruit vendors, Rundle Mall.jpg, Fruit stalls in the mall
File:Rundle Mall, Oct 2008.jpg, Crowds in the mall during a march, near the Target store

References

External links

Rundle Mall
Adelaide City Council

{{Coord, display=title, -34.92290278, 138.601875, type:landmark_region:AU

1976 establishments in Australia
Busking venues
Culture of South Australia
Pedestrian malls in Australia
Shopping districts and streets in Australia
Shopping malls established in 1976
Streets in Adelaide
Tourist attractions in Adelaide