Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value Vogel's national railway system increased its mileage almost exponentially from 1870 to 1910 and had added another 500 miles by 1930. Around 1950-53 the mileage of railway lines reached its peak and has since declined. Passenger services on the trains flourished until about 1944 when they declined with the coal shortages after the war. Even though people went willingly by train where there were trains the buses were needed for ancillary routes, especially in Otago where for political reasons the main route into Central Otago ran through sparsely populated country. As roads improved and buses became more powerful during the 1930s, there was a need for a place to garage the buses and provide cover for increasing freight and passengers. Though the building must have seemed large at the time, it is now rather cramped for moving the passengers and freight which now go by road. The first bus service in the country was set up in 1970 to carry passengers from the Culverden railway terminal to Hanmer Springs. The Road Services Branch was formally set up in 1926 when several competitive bus services were purchased. By the 1960s the Railways Department was the largest operator of road vehicles in the country with more than a thousand vehicles on the road.

Physical Significance

Architectural Significance: The Bus Services building was constructed at a time when few large buildings were being erected in Dunedin and is the most important Art Deco building of its period. (The other large building of the 1930s is the Chief Post Office, 1935). The long front parapet hiding the low pitched roof, the crisp lines, smoothly plastered surfaces and the rounded corners are characteristic of this style. The interior of the concourse is a particularly fine example of an Art Deco public interior. Township/Landmark Significance: It is a major 'modern' building in the Queens Gardens area.