Name: George
Suburb, Palmerston North Central
George Street is named after the landowner and building contractor who put the street through, Mr George Frederick Roe (1837-1902).
The map is a derivative of this Palmerston North Borough map from 1923.
Mr GF Roe was an early settler in the district. He arrived in Wellington in 1841, with his parents and and six siblings, on the ship Gertrude.
As an adult he served throughout the New Zealand Wars. Arriving in Fielding c. 1872, one of his first contracts was building forty houses for immigrants to Manchester Block. In those early years he was a local storeowner and agent for the Wanganui Chronicle.
In late 1875, he commenced building a hotel on property he owned in Feilding township. The Denbigh Hotel opened on 12th May 1876, with his brother, Charles Roe, his successor in the endeavour.
Mr G Roe moved to Palmerston North, where a year earlier he had sold the Clarendon Hotel to Mrs Atkinson for £1,400. He was a Palmerston North borough councillor from 1877 to 1880. Within that time he owned the Palmerston Hotel (1877-1879) and was a general storekeeper in partnership, Messrs Roe and Green. The partnership dissolved by mutual consent and Mr Roe was left to settle all debts. Unfortunately he became bankrupt in 1880.
He married Miss Mary Stoneleigh in 1878. Miss Mary Stoneleigh of Shropshire, England, emigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1873, on the ship Salisbury. She was recorded as a general servant on the passenger list. The couple had three children, Edward Wakefield b.1879, Arthur George b.1881 and Nina May b.1882.
Mr and Mrs Roe soon started a new enterprise, Roe's Private Hotel (1881-1883). In 1883, the Roe's sold-up with the intention of moving to the new settlement of Kawhia. However, in 1884, a local newspaper reports Mr Roe suffering a protracted illness in Palmerston North.
It appears that Mr Roe continued in the hotel business and was briefly the proprietor of the Post Office Hotel on Broad Street (later Broadway Avenue), in the 1892-93 rates year. His bankruptcy was announced in 1893.
In September of 1900 the Roe's were living in Taonui Street, when their daughter Nina May died. Mrs Mary Roe died in April two years later. Mr George Frederick Roe followed his wife and daughter in May of 1902, at 66 years of age.
History
In 1875 the road was put through at the Main Street end and D.P.27 subdivided. An extension was made through to the Cuba Street end in 1879 under D.P.155.
In September of 1878 The Public Works Committee of the Borough Council accepted the tender of Mr Joseph Nathan, £147, for works in George Street. This was Mr Joseph Edward Nathan, of Joseph Nathan and Co., owners of the agricultural supply firm that evolved into Glaxo. By the end of October 1878, the street was gravelled and had a pathway.
Mr George Mathew Snelson had been selling George Street sections since 1877, from his Auction Mart in Te Marae o Hine the Square. As a result, shops and houses became established rapidly, and land values soared.
In September of 1880 the culvert was lowered at junction of Cuba and George Streets. The water table was deepened towards the bush, in order to provide better drainage at upper end of Cuba Street.
On October 6 1880, at a Palmerston Borough Council meeting, councillor Ferguson recommended purchase of a right-of-way from Broad Street (later Broadway Avenue) to George Street. Landowners, Mr Hoskings and Mr Darwick, were agreeable to selling ten feet each and councillor Ferguson thought it better to purchase now, than wait some years when prices had risen.
The Chairman opposed the proposition, as George Street was initially a private street, not on the map and built on speculation. Furthermore, the developer had ignored suggestions on appropriate street width, and now there was an expectation of public funding to enhance the neighbourhood. Discussion ensued around this and the additional land required to fully open the way, being forty-six feet. According to the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, the Council was prevented from making any street less than sixty-six feet wide. The proposal was rejected.
In the years following, there were constant issues and complaints about the narrowness of George Street in regard to parking.
Five years after the street was first constructed, it was reformed and metalled; being nine chains (1 chain = 66ft/20.12m) of construction £40, and metalling £45, a total of £85.
The way through was also revisited in 1883, when councillor Snelson presented a plan to the council of a proposed connection between George Street and the now established cul-de-sac, Coleman Place (now Coleman Mall). The proposal was carried, and the Reserves Committee commenced arrangements in September 1884, advising the Council to draft a clause into The Special Powers Bill giving local authority.
In October of 1895 Mr Andrew Jack, overseer of waterworks, reported that the sewer in George, and nearby streets, was in a bad way. Pipes had been laid without cemented joints and sewerage was being discharged into the porous shingle beneath. While acknowledged, this wasn’t acted on at the time.
In 1901, Mr Mestayer, newly appointed engineer for the borough sewerage scheme, was asked to inspect the main sewer and report back to council. Meanwhile the inspector of works was to check the condition of the culvert in George Street and carry out any necessary repairs. By 1904 the plan was ready for laying of sewers in George Street. However, the call for tenders was only made immediately before the Manawatū and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral (A&P) Association Show. This ensured that work would not be carried out during show week.
The A&P Show was important to the township and attracted many out-of-town visitors. In October 1904 the council received requests to have superfluous vegetation cleared from George Street, to be presentable during show time. Show attendees were invited, through targeted advertising, to wander the streets viewing especially designed window displays. Many would patronise business establishments and there was a bustling trade. The sewers were laid and connected directly after the show ended in 1904.
For just over a decade, work was concentrated in managing water in George Street. In 1908 the old boxed culvert under the water table in the street was removed, and the space filled with tarred metal. The following year the water channel on one side of the street was tarred. In 1911 a culvert was laid at the intersection of George and Cuba Street.
In 1913 a recommendation for a concrete culvert across George Street, was referred to the following year’s estimates. And while the water table received some attention in 1914, by 1915, with stagnant water frequenting the gutters, the matter was referred to the engineer. By December of 1922, the laying of a 9-inch stormwater drain in George Street was completed. In June, five years on, a 9-inch stormwater drain was laid from the manhole in Coleman Place, for 2&½ chains into George Street.
The footpaths, being heavily used, received regular attention with repairs and reconditioning. Over the years they were top dressed in tar and sand, and hot-mix bitumen and chips. The roadway also received attention on a regular, although less frequent, basis. It was tarred in 1917 and top dressed in asphalt from time-to-time, until resurfaced with bitumen and chips in 1931.
In July of 1925 a letter from the Fire Board to the council, sparked a ten-year debate. The Fire Board drew attention to the danger of having parked cars in George Street. Passage of fire trucks was challenging, due to the narrowness of the road. Councillors discussed alternative parking in nearby streets and a motion was made that private car parking in George Street be abolished. This was revoked in September.
In June 1926, additional parking lights were installed at George Street stands. A year later a request was received for a time limit on cars parked in Coleman Place, or, that George Street parking stands be extended. The Traffic Committee recommended that Coleman Place parking be abolished and a new parking area be allotted in Cuba Street. This recommendation was passed. Also in 1927, placement of stop signs and a dome, to allow safer turning from Coleman Place into George Street, was considered.
In February of 1929 the council were asked to revisit the abolishing of parking areas in George Street. This was referred to the Transit Committee for consideration. There was talk of establishing night parking away from the day parking stands. In April 1929 alterations were made to parking hours.
Later that year, the Palmerston North Fire Brigade complained of George Street cars parked over fire plugs. Again, the suggestion was made to abolish car parking in George Street. The council asked the Transit Committee to look at city parking areas, in their entirety, and report back. The Ratepayer’s Association also recommended abolishment of George Street parking area. They felt the parking stands were a danger to traffic, due to the narrowness of the street.
In October of 1929, the type of parking was discussed, with particular note of the American style of parallel parking – nose to tail. Finally, it was decided that only night-time parking be allowed in George Street. By December the Ratepayer’s Association was pushing for abolition of night parking in George Street. They pointed out that cars were parking there in the daytime regardless.
May 1930 saw a further decision on parking. Twenty-minute parallel parking was to be allowed in George Street day and night, with a 30-foot intersection restriction. In 1931, to restrict the blocking of fire plugs, cycle parking was enabled on the east side of the street opposite fire plugs. Shortly after, the car parking time limit was raised to thirty-minutes.
In March of 1934 the Manawatu Automobile Association asked that parallel parking be allowed on both sides of George Street after 7pm. In July a by-law amendment was sent to the City Solicitors for inclusion in the next set of amendments. The by-law restricting parking in George Street to thirty-minutes was amended to permit continuous parking, each day, after 7pm. The parking question was resolved for the moment.
Early residents included
Mr George Mathew Snelson (the first mayor of Palmerston North) and Mrs Louisa Matilda Snelson arrived in Palmerston in December of 1870. They built a general store on the western side of Te Marae o Hine the Square in partnership with Mr EW Mills, Mr Snelson's former employer, an ironmonger in Wellington. Opening in 1871, this was the first store in the township.
Palmerston North Borough Council Rate Books show that the Snelson’s owned an allotment and house on section 331, (George Street) from 1878. By 1879 they also owned a house and blacksmith shop on section 332. This was recorded as a house and stable the following year. In November 1883 it was reported in the Manawatū Times:
“Mr G. M. Snelson is having substantial additions made to the front of his residence in George street, which will greatly improve the appearance… .”
It was also that year, that section 847 (Fitzherbert Street), first appears listed under George Snelson in the rate books. It is likely that the couple moved to their Fitzherbert Street (later Fitzherbert Avenue) residence around that time and purchased the adjoining section, 848. In 1885 they’d also acquired section 300 (George Street) with house. The Snelson’s kept property in George Street until around 1892. Due to their extensive work in the community, the Snelson’s were later known as the “Father and Mother of Palmerston North.”
A second mayoral couple lived on George Street at the turn of the 20th century. Mr James "Jimmy" Alfred Nash and Mrs Elizabeth Lily Grater, nee Keogh, married on Valentine’s Day in 1895. Rate books show that Mr JA Nash purchased allotments on sections 331 and 332 (George Street) that same year. Already operating a store in Te Marae o Hine the Square, Mr Nash established two shops in George Street next to Woodfield’s stables in 1901.
The Nash’s private residence on George Street was advertised to let in June 1906. The couple moved to their newly built house, later named Waimarama, on Alfred Street. Rate books show Mrs Nash as the ratepayer on an allotment of section 169, from 1904-05. In June 1907, Mr Nash sold his shop in Te Marae o Hine the Square to Messrs Paget and Barron and advised he could be contacted at his new business next to the Fire Bell Tower, Coleman Place.
Mr and Mrs CA Peters were residents of George Street from 1897 to 1904. A native of Palmerston North, Mr Charles Abel Peters was born c. 1864. He married Miss Esther Adams (b.1862) in 1893. The couple had five children; Florence May b.1893, Charles Abel b.1895, George Hugh b.1898, Dorothy Allen b.1901 and Ernest Albert b.1906.
Although Mr CA Peters is registered as Ernest Albert's father, Ernest is acknowleged as the biological son of Mr Ernest Albert Fearnley.
Mrs CA Peters owned a Coffee Palace with accommodation on George Street, and it appears that Mr C Peters may have run a Billiard Saloon.
Mrs Peters moved to Andrew Young Street in 1904 and opened a two-storeyed boarding house, of twenty-nine rooms. It also housed Peters Coffee Palace. It is unclear whether she and Mr Peters were still together.
In 1908 Mr Charles Abel Peters died, aged 44 years.
Mrs Peters remarried to Mr Ernest Albert Fearnley, and the business was renamed Fearnley’s Coffee Palace and private hotel. Mrs Esther Fearnley died in 1954, aged 91 years. She is interred at Kelvin Grove Cemetery.
Early business, organisations and clubs included
Mrs CA Peters ran a Coffee Palace on George Street from 1897 to 1904. Occupying a large residence, she also provided accommodation to travellers and boarders. In 1904 she moved the business to Andrew Young Street.
The Woodfield Stables, also known as Manawatū Stables were established at 23 George Street in 1901. They were owned by Mr Herbert John Woodfield and operated as a livery stable with conveyances for hire. The local fire brigade housed their horses there, with the horse(s) harnessed to a fire cart overnight in case of emergency. The stables hosted experts, including Mr Walter J Bullock equine dentist and Mr GE Owen Veterinary Surgeon. Woodfield’s also offered services, such as horse clipping, on site.
In 1904 Mr Woodfield extended his livery business to a second site on Cuba Street. Considerable fire damage occurred to the George Street stables in January of 1911, fortunately no horses were harmed. The remaining wood building was pulled down in 1915. Mr Woodfield had fully established his business on Cuba Street.
Handily located next to the Woodfield Stables at 21 George Street, in 1907, was Mr Wallace John Bruce Jolly, saddler and harness maker. By the early 1920s Mr WJB Jolly expanded into sports goods and restringing of tennis racquets. His store was sold in 1926 after his unexpected death. Next to WJB Jolly, at number 19, were Messrs Swift and Co., land estate agents (established 1905). They were still advertising their business at its George Street location in 1920. In 1908, HJ Lauridsen Blacksmith & Farriers commenced business in a leased shop directly opposite Coleman Place. Mr Hans Jorgen Lauridsen’s family had moved to Palmerston North from Denmark in 1907.
In January of 1904 Messrs Joe Lee & Co., started a laundry in George Street. It remained in George Street for 17 years, with a move within the street when the original structure was demolished for new builds in 1912. In March of 1921 the company moved to Main Street West.
In September 1908 Mr Nash, in partnership with Mr DJ Lovelock, commenced business as Messrs JA Nash and Co., from George Street offices. They were produce, land, estate and general commissioner agents. It was also 1908 that Mr Nash became mayor of Palmerston North, remaining in office until 1923.
The Nash Buildings, 42-48 George Street, were constructed in 1925 for Mrs Nash. She had purchased the property in 1894, before her marriage to Mr Nash, with the building remaining in the family until 1978. The building plan was created by Mr Herbert Leslie Hickson, registered architect. The Nash Buildings housed fours shops on the ground floor including confectionary, millinery and clothing; with living spaces upstairs. Additions were made to the Cuba Street end in 1929 to the design of Mr Oscar Albert Jorgensen. This comprised a fifth shop and upstairs residence at 50 George Street. (See also, Built Heritage Inventory, below).
In 1883 the Bon Marche, a general market, drapery and clothing store on the west side of Te Marae o Hine the Square changed hands. Formerly owned by Mr John Coulson Fowler, the new proprietors were CM Ross & Co., and they took over in September of that year. In 1905, extensive additions and improvements were made to the store, including an arcade from Te Marae o Hine the Square to George Street. Fronting George Street were large display windows. The first display was furnishings, as George Street housed the furniture department and, in 1909, the factory. At that stage customers could only access the George Street side via Te Marae o Hine the Square.
This changed in 1916 with the completion of a steel framed concrete building comprised of two storeys on Te Marae o Hine the Square, and three storeys on the Coleman Place and George Street sections. With display windows on Coleman Place, entry was made from Te Marae o Hine the Square and George Street. The latter housing the showroom of the firm.
During 1927 and 1928 CM Ross and Co., built a completely new department store, replacing three of the former buildings. It was called Rosco, and, as previous, could be accessed from Te Marae o Hine the Square and George Street. After Roscos discontinued operations in 1959, the store went through several owners including DIC (originally Drapery and General Importing Company of New Zealand Ltd). In 1991 it was purchased by the Palmerston North City Council and converted into the City Library – opening in 1996.
When the new City Library opened in 1996, so too, tucked underneath the library besides the George Street entrance, did Bruce McKenzie Booksellers.
Mr Bruce McKenzie was born in 1937 and was raised in Palmerston North. He is a local identity and powerhouse in book selling. For twenty-six years he was with G H Bennett & Co Ltd, on Broadway Avenue, and spent twelve years in publishing sales in Wellington.
He opened the George Street store with his daughter Louisa, and they also had an educational bookstore on George Street and a wholesale bookstore in Coleman Mall for periods of time.
To learn more about Mr Bruce McKenzie, listen to his oral interview. Here is an image of Bruce McKenzie Booksellers in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While George Street catered to shoppers looking for goods and services, it was also home to various national organisations, such as:
-
New Zealand Express Company, moved from the corner of Main and David Streets to George Street in 1906. The company worked from several locations within George Street over the years. In 1935 NZ Express sold their cartage, forwarding and sample rooms at 6 George Street to Child Bros., who made it their head office. In the 1940s the Child Bros. head office moved to 85 George Street.
-
Department of Labour, from 1908 on the corner of Main Street West and George Street. In the 1920s the Department of Labour moved into the Hopwood’s Buildings in Main Street.
-
Returned Services Association, from 1917 the Soldier’s Club was situated on the corner of George and Cuba Streets. (See also, Built Heritage Inventory, below).
-
YMCA, 1936 to 1942. Maintained rooms on the 2nd floor of the Manawatū Building.
George Street was a hub of community entertainment in the form of picture theatres, skate rinks, dance halls and billiard saloons. The later included T Bill’s Billard Saloon, Crown Billiard Saloon, West’s Billiard Saloon and the Commercial Billiard Saloon.
In 1910, some old shops were removed to make way for an indoor skating rink. Building commenced in September of 1910 by Mr TJ Rodgers for Messrs J Fuller & Sons. The finished product would be a hall (the rink especially constructed from heart of matai), dressing rooms, attendant’s rooms and offices. The hall would be used to show pictures out-of-season. There were two entrances from George Street and one from Main Street. Further, three shops would form the frontage in George Street.
For a taste of yesteryear George Street on a Saturday night, read this Back Issues article by Steve Stannard.
This skate rink and picture hall, His Majesty’s Theatre (here in its building stage), was consequently opened in February of 1911 with a 1,750-person capacity. It was referred to by various names, including Fuller’s Hall and Fuller’s Pictures. In 1916 the theatre was leased by Mr W Downey with the intention of converting it to a modern skate rink. His Majesty’s Rink, otherwise known as The Rink, reopened March of 1917.
In 1921 Fuller’s Hall was acquired by Kairanga Auctioneering Co., for storage, display and sale of goods. Stock pens for livestock were built alongside. They also leased part of their space to Mr AC Crossan for his billiards saloon in 1922. Unfortunately, in 1924, the Kairanga Auctioneering Company went into liquidation. In September of that year a tender was accepted from The Palmerston Paramount Pictures Ltd., Company and on the 30th of October 1924, the new Paramount Theatre opened in George Street.
By 1927 this became the De Luxe Theatre. The Skating Rink De Luxe was opened in July 1931. It was also known as the De Luxe Hall, and many dances were held there. In July of 1937 the hall reopened as The Coconut Grove ballroom. From 1942 to 1945 the hall was known as the ANA Dance Hall (Airforce, Navy, Army) housing a club, lounge and patriotic shop. It was then renamed the George Street Dance Hall. It became the Ballroom Astoria around 1948 and remained so until closing in 1984.
A second picture theatre was built in George Street in 1915 on the site previously occupied by Woodfield Stables. The Palace Theatre opened in November 1915 and remained until gutted by fire in 1935. A newly refurbished theatre opened on the same site in 1936, as the Mayfair (you can see the corner of it here), and ran until 1965. As Pauline Knuckey explains in this Back Issues article, the most successful screening was in 1950. Closed for extensive modernisation, the theatre re-opened in December of 1965 and was now called the Odeon. The Mayfair had become part of the Kerridge Odeon Corporation in 1946. The Odeon stayed until its demolition in 1992.
Renumbering
The addresses on George Street were renumbered in 1937. See p.124 and p.125 of the Rates Register of Street Numbers - Old and New.
Built Heritage Inventory
