Alexandra Buildings

Arts and Crafts is the hero of this proud and individual brick construct on the busy corner of Dee and Don in our southernmost city. During the city's development the wide boulevard of Dee Street attracted a level of competition amongst the developers and architects, with benefits still to be enjoyed today.

Alexandra Buildings were proudly announced in 1900 and all three stories up less than a year later, providing accommodation for a rotating mixture of retail and residential tenants over the years, still standing strong in red brick well past their centenary, a compliment to the Grand Hotel across the way.

Heritage New Zealand rates this building for 'romantic Queen Anne' features like 'Oriel Windows' mixed with Arts and Crafts style. The tenants have included the famous Invercargill Cycling Club, several jewellers and upstairs, a 'Physical Culture' club which may have been quite a lot like a modern day Les Mills Gym. As well as all it's obvious charms, apparently Alexandra Buildings has large interior spaces and marvellous cellars, both exceeding the standard of the day. The architect was Cuthbert Brodrick, who also designed the town's Trooper's Memorial and National Bank, and the builders the Mair Brothers. McLeay Jewellers have held the corner retail premises here for many years.

If you are there, on the corner of Dee and Don, please snap NZPlaces a picture of the excellent Alexandra Buildings.