This pair of ornate facades - The Exchange Court (former) and the Thomson, Bridger and Co. (fomer) Building – on Dunedin’s Princes Street represent the height of Victorian and Edwardian architecture in what was the country’s wealthiest city. Their distinctive and highly ornamented facades have aesthetic, historical and architectural significance. Dunedin businessman and jeweller John Hislop opened the two-storey (with a basement) Exchange Court in 1881 – providing office space, shops and an enclosed arcade. James Hislop (no relation) and W.H. Terry were the architects behind the building, and Mr Millington was the contractor. John Hislop had his own premises in the building and let other shops and offices. Through a cast iron gate access was gained to the shops and offices of the arcade. There were seven offices on the ground floor, and ten on the first floor. The walls were plastered throughout, and finished with cornices and chair-rails. The building’s heavily ornate facade was decorated with modillion cornices, Corinthian capitals and enriched panels. In November 1915, Everybody’s Theatre was constructed opened within the Exchange Court’s building, behind the existing façade. There were 850 seats, split on two floors. The manager’s room, the store rooms and ladies’ cloak room were all located on the first floor. The ceiling was made of fibrous plaster, designed in 3 bays and domed. The Evening Star wrote that “Nothing equal to this plaster work is to be seen in Australasia”. The architect of Everybody’s Theatre was Edward Walden, and the contractor was William McLellan. In 1920 Haywards Theatre Limited took over the cinema. It was closed for renovation in November 1929, and re-opened as The Roxy on the in May 1930. It closed a year later in June. Woolworths, a retail store, opened in the theatre’s building in 1931. The ground floor was used to exhibit goods, while the first floor was used by the staff and for storage. The architect of alterations was R. G. Talboys, and the contractor was George Simpson and Sons. The other building in the pair was built in 1906 for Thomson, Bridger and Co., an iron and woodware company. The three-storey building provided showrooms and offices. Mason and Wales were the architects. The company was founded in the early 1860s by Mr Guthrie and Larnach, and was later taken over by the Dunedin Iron and Woodware Company. Sometime after 1887 Thomson, Bridger and Co. bought the company. Before moving into Princes Street, they appear to have had their business on Bond Street. In 1952 Woolworths took over the lease of the building, and the two buildings functioned as one from then on, with Woolworths using both buildings. In 1979 L.D. Nathan bought Woolworths, and in 1988 Woolworths was turned into DEKA, a general merchandise shop. Philip Laing House started leasing the old theatre in 1999, and the old Exchange Court in 1994. The freehold (the land was leasehold) was purchased by Philip Laing House Limited in 2004. In 2018, the ground floor is occupied by a shop and the upper floors are vacant.
Location
List Entry Information
Overview
Detailed List Entry
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
2237
Date Entered
7th July 1982
Date of Effect
7th July 1982
City/District Council
Dunedin City
Region
Otago Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes part of the land described Lot 1 DP 77 (OT365/104) and part of the land described as Lot 2 Folium 4 DP 77 (OT14A/517), Otago Land District and the building facades known as The Exchange Court Façade (Former) and Thomson, Bridger and Company Façade (Former) thereon. Refer to the extent map tabled at the Rārangi Kōrero Committee meeting on 31 May 2018.
Legal description
Lot 1 DP 77 (OT365/104) and Lot 2 Folium 4 DP 77 (OT14A/517), Otago Land District.
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