List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
655
Date Entered
2nd July 1987
Date of Effect
2nd July 1987
City/District Council
Auckland Council
Region
Auckland Council
Legal description
Pts 6 7 8 of Sec 37 City of Auckland
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
655
Date Entered
2nd July 1987
Date of Effect
2nd July 1987
City/District Council
Auckland Council
Region
Auckland Council
Legal description
Pts 6 7 8 of Sec 37 City of Auckland
Why is this place significant?
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.
Why is this place significant?
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.
Construction Professional
Name
Wiseman, Alexander
Type
Architect
Biography
Alexander Wiseman (1865-1915) - Articled to Edward Bartley 1881-85. Began practising as an architect in 1904. The Auckland Ferry building (classified 'B') is his best known work and shows he was an architect of considerable ability.
Name
May, T W
Type
Architect
Biography
An Auckland architect responsible for a number of residential and commercial buildings around the city including three 7 storey concrete warehouses for Arthur Yates and Co. Designed Shop/Dwellings for the Terrace Shops, 456-486 Queen Street, Auckland in 1909.
Construction Details
Start Year
1912
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Brick and plaster walls, corrugated iron roofs and shop verandahs.
Notable Features
Stepped verandah and original pediments at the top of the facades. Also some original Edwardian shop fronts. Some original interiors as well.
Construction Professional
Name
Wiseman, Alexander
Type
Architect
Biography
Alexander Wiseman (1865-1915) - Articled to Edward Bartley 1881-85. Began practising as an architect in 1904. The Auckland Ferry building (classified 'B') is his best known work and shows he was an architect of considerable ability.
Name
May, T W
Type
Architect
Biography
An Auckland architect responsible for a number of residential and commercial buildings around the city including three 7 storey concrete warehouses for Arthur Yates and Co. Designed Shop/Dwellings for the Terrace Shops, 456-486 Queen Street, Auckland in 1909.
Construction Details
Start Year
1912
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Brick and plaster walls, corrugated iron roofs and shop verandahs.
Notable Features
Stepped verandah and original pediments at the top of the facades. Also some original Edwardian shop fronts. Some original interiors as well.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (Style) A continuous row of 16 shops designed by at least two architects between 1908-1912. Although the individual blocks of shops in a row possess subtle variations in design, they all combine to form a single terrace, homogeneous in scale and appearance. The buildings incorporate Neo-Baroque, Georgian and Italianate features in their design illustrating the eclectic nature of Edwardian architecture. A series of convex verandahs form a stepped effect along the street frontage and help give the impression of one continuous building. MODIFICATIONS Cast iron verandah posts have been removed and alterations have been made to shop fronts. Otherwise the buildings are in remarkably good condition.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (Style) A continuous row of 16 shops designed by at least two architects between 1908-1912. Although the individual blocks of shops in a row possess subtle variations in design, they all combine to form a single terrace, homogeneous in scale and appearance. The buildings incorporate Neo-Baroque, Georgian and Italianate features in their design illustrating the eclectic nature of Edwardian architecture. A series of convex verandahs form a stepped effect along the street frontage and help give the impression of one continuous building. MODIFICATIONS Cast iron verandah posts have been removed and alterations have been made to shop fronts. Otherwise the buildings are in remarkably good condition.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. NZHPT Heritage Order (29 June 1989) Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. NZHPT Heritage Order (29 June 1989) Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Current Usages
Uses: Trade
Specific Usage: Shop
Current Usages
Uses: Trade
Specific Usage: Shop
