Grande dame of Queen St restored to former glory
Premium space in a heritage building on lower Queen St, Auckland, is available for lease, offering tenants the opportunity to occupy possibly the finest character offices currently available in New Zealand.
131 Queen St, the century-old former Milne & Choyce department store, has been extensively refurbished by Krukziener Properties.
CBRE directors marketing the property say it sets a new benchmark in luxury, expertly blending modern working environments and amenities with exquisitely restored original detailing.
Stefan Winstanley and Matt Hockey, CBRE office leasing directors, are offering the top two floors (levels seven and eight) in the Heritage NZ-listed building.
“Office tenants looking for space with a real wow factor should look no further than 131 Queen,” Winstanley says.
“Krukziener Properties has left no stone unturned in their meticulous refurbishment and seismic strengthening of this grand old lady of Queen St, which now provides absolutely gorgeous, ornate art deco interiors and contemporary office facilities.”
Both floors have high 4.5m studs, expansive glazed frontages, premium bathrooms including showers and huge outdoor terraces for tenants to entertain staff and clients.
With most of the office space signed up, the top two floors offer the last opportunities for larger businesses to occupy the master fully transformed building in a premium downtown address, says Hockey.
“This is truly unique office space in a class of its own. There is nothing comparable in quality and size available anywhere else at the moment.
“From the marble-lined lobby and bathrooms to the light-filled office spaces with their soaring ceilings, this is a quality renovation that will add a hefty amount of prestige to incoming tenants’ brands.”
Potential occupiers could opt to take one or both floors, providing a total of 1340sq m of space connected by a staircase. Alternatively, the floors can be leased separately, offering spaces of around 940sq m (level seven) and 400sq m (level eight).
The market for premium quality, well-located offices in Auckland CBD is tight, with vacancy reducing back to pre-Covid levels, Winstanley says.
“There is a flight to quality as tenants opt to take better quality office space in more desirable locations and carry out new internal fitouts to attract staff back to the office and support hybrid working.”
The ground floor will house luxury retail, while level one will be a food and beverage precinct including a whisky bar and dining spaces for tenants and the public.
As well as sensitively restoring the building’s interiors and facade, Krukziener Properties has installed new air conditioning, modernised lifts and completed a significant seismic strengthening project to bring the building to 100 per cent NBS.
The building presents the opportunity for tenants to secure trophy heritage character space in an iconic building which encapsulates the city’s history as well as its future. Milne & Choyce was the national leader in retailing for its time and an important part of the social fabric of Auckland, with the 600-seat Tudor Tea Rooms and open-air roof garden a popular meeting place, says Winstanley.
“Following its refurbishment, this stunning building captures the romance of days gone by, while also being an important part of the future of lower Queen St as ongoing evolution in the tenancy make-up in the area continues.”
Surrounded by international luxury retail brands and among many high-profile international businesses, lower Queen St provides a highly sought-after address, Hockey says.
“This location is within easy walking distance of bus, rail and ferry transport, as well as Commercial Bay and Britomart. This adds up to a huge array of shopping, dining, entertainment and transport options for local workers, a significant drawcard for staff attraction and retention.”