Meridian Mall, Dunedin

Meridian Mall

The Meridian Mall, Dunedin
Location	Dunedin, New Zealand
Coordinates	45°52′12″S 170°30′18″E / 45.870006°S 170.505103°E / -45.870006; 170.505103Coordinates: 45°52′12″S 170°30′18″E / 45.870006°S 170.505103°E / -45.870006; 170.505103
Address	267 George Street
Opening date	1997-09-05
Developer	Arthur Barnett Ltd
Management	Prime Retail
Owner	ING NZ Retail Fund
Architect	ASA Crone Architects
No. of stores and services	50
No. of anchor tenants	2
No. of floors	3

The Meridian Mall is a large shopping complex in Dunedin, New Zealand designed by ASA Crone Architects, an Australian development company. At 16,000 m² (172,222.6 sq ft)^[1] it is the largest retail mall in the southern South Island, and one of the largest in the South Island as a whole.

The mall was constructed in 1995-1997 behind the former Arthur Barnett building in George Street which was designed by Edmund Anscombe (1874-1948) and completed in 1924. The new complex is a central retail hub, with Arthur Barnett as one of the two anchor tenants. It opened on 5 September 1997 with the final development costs close to NZ$50 million. Arthur Barnett sold the mall to ING Real Estate Australia for $52.65 million in April 2003,^[2][3] using the proceeds to retire debt.

The mall contains 50 shops spread over three levels, including a large food court on the bottom level.^[1] The two largest retailers are Kmart, which occupies a large corner of the top floor, and Arthur Barnett, on parts of the ground floor and the basement level. Above these three levels is a multi-storey car park.

The neon advertising sign for Arthur Barnett that sits atop the mall is a prominent feature on the Dunedin skyline. Named Can't Stop, it features a small man trying to control a large horse, possibly a Clydesdale. It was designed by the New Zealand artist Heber Thompson for the 1924 building.

Golden Centre Mall and Wall Street

The Meridian Mall is linked to the independently-operated Golden Centre, which was one of Dunedin's first shopping malls. This lies immediately to the south, and beyond this lies the Wall Street Mall, which was opened on March 21, 2009. Renovation and expansion of the Golden Centre during 2009 has resulted in the three malls being linked internally in November 2009^[4] The three malls thus form one continuous complex occupying almost the entire two-hectare central city block, having a total floor area of over 28,000 m² (6.9 acres).

The Wall Street development was delayed by the discovery on the site of one of Dunedin's earliest walkways, dating from the 1850s, less than a decade after the city was founded^[5].

Wall Street Retail Complex

The Wall Street Retail Complex is a boutique arcade mall, and has a number of fashion tenants such as Country Road, Maher Shoes, Levis, as well as Marbeck's new format cd/cafe/book store.

List of tenants:

• Country Road
• Lush
• Levi's
• Vodafone
• Tarocash
• Esprit
• TS14 [1]
• Greenhouse Florist [2]
• Life Pharmacy [3]
• Bras N Things [4]
• Maher Shoes [5]
• Marbecks [6]
• Mojo Cafe and Gelato Kiosk [7]
• Absolutely Fabulous

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Property Management - Meridian Mall". Prime Retail Management Ltd.. http://www.primeretail.co.nz/property_management/meridian_mall.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-17. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Arthur Barnett sells mall". New Zealand Herald. 17 April 2003. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=3401584. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
3. ^ Gibson, Anne (21 January 2004). "Full buildings, new tower buoy sector". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=3544639. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
4. ^ Morris, Chris (21 March 2009). "$5m Golden Centre redevelopment". Otago Daily Times. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/48423/5m-golden-centre-redevelopment. Retrieved 23 October 2011. 
5. ^ Historic Places Trust website

External links

• Official website
• Wall St Mall Portal Website
• Dunedin City Council Wall St Complex