Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value The site has been owned by the Methodist Church since the 1840s and up until 1906 the Prince Albert Boys' and Girls' schools were housed there. The Boys' School building later became the Rembrandt Hotel at 490 Queen Street (now demolished). 460-466 Queen Street was built for Neville Newcomb in 1908 and was the first block in the complex. The shops have been a distinctive feature of this part of Queen Street for most of this century and the block still contains a number of interesting shops including the last surviving inner city grocery and a traditional bike shop.

Physical Significance

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Auckland's longest continuous row of early twentieth century shops which are still to a large degree intact and still in use as shop/dwelling units. Architect designed terraces of shops are very rare in New Zealand and this group is one of the most distinguished and best preserved in the country. The buildings contribute to our understanding of the capabilities of two Auckland architects, T W May and Alexander Wiseman. TOWNSCAPE/LANDSCAPE SIGNIFICANCE The shops are a prominent feature of the townscape with the attractive continuous façade and stepped verandah visible from both a northerly and southerly direction along Queen Street and from Myers Park directly opposite.