CITY SHOPPING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 786, 5 October 1929, Page 12

CITY SHOPPING

TREND TOWARD CIVIC SQUARE PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE Once a barren open space, happy hunting ground of stump orators and parking-place for motor-cars, the Civic Square has been transformed into an attractive shopping area with an assured future. Twelve months ago this valuable area in the heart of Auckland’s principal shopping centre was relatively worthless. Held by the City Council pending a decision as to its use the square remained commercially stag- ! nant and the stream of shopping passed ;it by on the other side of Queen Street i and turned into both divisions of Wel- ! lesley Street. Today the towering corner of the Civic Theatre building prepares to intercept that stream —to draw its quota of customers from the thousands who move daily up and down Auckland’s principal thoroughfare. In the past shoppers have been compelled to cross from the western side of Queen Street at Wellesley Street and seek their requirements below. Now they can keep on reaping the advantage of an unbroken line of shops. Under the high dome of the theatre are no fewer than 20 new shops of varying sizes. An addition of 20 business premises to Auckland’s busy heart; it is an achievement of importance, and one which will have a. marked effect on retail displays and facilities.

The shops in the Civic Theatre building face Queen Street, Wellesley Street and Ferguson Street. Three sides of the big house of amusement present an unbroken front of glistening plate glass, and modern window displays. Each of the new shops is well lighted, and the effect when all are in occupation will be to draw shoppers from every point of the compass, particularly so as three incoming traffic streams from the suburbs converge at that point.