This grain store, designed by John Lemon and built for merchants Neill Brothers in 1882, is a significant reminder of the wealth built on commerce in North Otago in the 1870s and early 1880s.

The first building on this site seems to have been that of flour millers John and George Orr. It was 30 by 33ft (9 by 10m) with an office at the rear, and walls 16ft high (5m). The building was left in a half-finished state when the Orr’s estate was put in the hands of trustees, as a result of bankruptcy proceedings. The lease was transferred to James Grave in August 1876, and to James Hassell in September 1877.

William Godfrey Neill (d.1900) took up the lease in January 1882. A report from January 1882 describes the building as in the ‘course of erection.’ Neill Brothers were a Dunedin firm with their offices and warehouse in High Street. Neill Brothers announced the opening of their new store in the North Otago Times in March 1882, where they acted as buyers for grain and farm produce. W.G. Neill and his brother Robert set up business as general merchants. Their other brother P.C. Neill was also a well-known Dunedin merchant and businessman.

The Oamaru Mail describes the new store, designed by John Lemon and built by stonemasons Messrs Watson. Although only a single storey structure the paper describes the building as ‘one of the most capacious stores in town.’ Its frontage to the railway siding was 66ft (20m), running 126 ft (38m) to the railway line, with 20ft (6m) high walls. With the exception of offices, the whole of the interior was available for storage, with space for 40,000 sacks of grain. The space between the beams increased the capacity to about 50,000 sacks. The floor was concrete with railway lines and a turntable providing access to the store. Water power was used to lift the sacks onto the stacks. The building had ‘a very pleasing substantial appearance, and certainly seems to be specially adapted for doing a large amount of storage at a small cost for labour.’

William Neill was killed in a coach accident in 1900. His brother Robert died four months later. After William’s death the lease was transferred to George Lintott and to Oamaru merchant James Craig in 1905. The North Otago Farmers’ Co-operative took over the lease in 1917. The North Otago Farmers’ Co-operative was formed in 1901 and by 1904 had 760 shareholders. Its first home was on Tyne Street (later used for storage) with its outlet on Thames Street. The aim of the Association was to look after the interests of farmers, and of buying and selling from them through their own agents in various international markets. In 1979 the Association merged with the Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operative Association, renamed Crown Farmers Ltd in 1983.

The building was acquired by the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust in 1989. The pediment has been reinstated over the main entrance.

In 2013 Neill Brothers’ Store (Former) remains a significant building in Oamaru’s Harbour/Tyne Historic Area (Register No. 7064).