The Octagon, Dunedin

The Octagon is the city centre of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand.

Features

The Octagon consists of a circular thoroughfare bisected by the city's main street, which is called George Street to the north-east of the Octagon and Princes Street to the south-west of it. Two other main thoroughfares meet with the Octagon: Upper and Lower Stuart Street. Lower Stuart Street is the shorter of the two, leading 600 metres to Dunedin Railway Station. Upper Stuart Street climbs steeply from the Octagon as a major arterial route to Dunedin's inner hill suburbs. Surrounding the Octagon is a larger octagonal street, Moray Place.

The area within the circular road - with the exception of the central link between George and Princes Streets - is a pedestrian area, grassed and terraced in the upper half, and paved in the lower half. A street market occupies much of the paved area once a week. The terraced area is surmounted by a statue of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, whose nephew, Thomas Burns was one of the founders of the city.

Many of Dunedin's more important buildings face this circular road along the eight sides which give rise to its name. These include the Dunedin Municipal Chambers, Civic Centre and Public Library, the Regent Theatre (Dunedin's largest live theatre), Dunedin Public Art Gallery, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Other buildings in the Octagon include the Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, restaurants and a multiplex cinema.

History

The Octagon was first laid out during Charles Kettle's surveying of the city in 1846. His plans for the centre of Dunedin included a large Octagonal area (Moray Place) enclosing a smaller octagonal shape, originally designated as a reserve. This status was embodied in law in 1854, six years after the 1848 arrival of the first European settlers to the city. At this stage in the city's early history the area was officially designated as "the Square of Moray Place", though it was colloquially known as the Octagon even at this early stage.

Despite the reserve status, the Anglican Church sought to build in the centre of the Octagon, applying directly to Governor Sir George Grey. It was not until building was about to commence that the local (predominantly Presbyterian) community became aware of what was happening. This resulted in a major furore within the city. Otago Superintendent William Cargill was put in charge of the dispute, resulting in the Anglicans being forced to withdraw their plans for The Octagon (The Anglican St. Paul's Cathedral stands today at the northern edge of The Octagon).

For many years, the site was somewhat derelict, with little done to improve the condition of the reserve. Early Dunedin was largely divided geographically by the body of Bell Hill, which sat immediately to the south of The Octagon. It was only with the cutting of the hill to allow for traffic between the northern and southern halves of the city along Princes Street that The Octagon began to gain any prominence. Even so, it remained unsightly until the 1890s.

The first major structure of any kind within The Octagon's reserve area was a monument erected in 1864 to the memory of Cargill. This was moved several hundred metres to the The Exchange in 1872 to allow for the construction of a central roadway connecting Princes Street and George Street. In 1887 a statue of poet Robert Burns, the uncle of one of the city's founding fathers, was unveiled. It still stands at the northern face of The Octagon close to the junction with Stuart Street.

In the early 1890s several improvements were proposed to The Octagon, including fencing, and the planting of plane trees along the edge of the central roadway. About this time a monument was also erected to early settler Thomas Burns, though this monument, erected in 1891, was generally unpopular and was eventually removed during the 1940s. Subterranean public toilets were installed close to the monument in 1910, though these were filled in in the 1970s.

In 1963, the council was gifted £5,000 by the "Evening Star" newspaper to build a fountain in the Octagon. The Star Fountain, as it became known after its installation in 1966, was a popular attraction, with synchronised lighting, music and water displays, which played at regular times of the morning and evening. Despite its popularity, it was also unsightly during times when it was not playing, due to the large number of visible pipes needed for its performances. When The Octagon was refurbished in the 1990s, the Star Fountain was removed and was not included in The Octagon's new design, leading to some public outcry.

Renovation

commissioned consultants with a view to substantially renovating The Octagon area. The initial proposals included the closure of several sections of road around and within The Octagon, again resulting in public protest, and in the end the renovations went ahead without any road closures.

The "new look" Octagon was in many ways an "old look", with covered walkways and Edwardian-styled streetlights and fittings giving an antique look to the central city, complementing the many late Victorian and Edwardian buildings which surround The Octagon.

Improvements also included the paving of a plaza area in the lower Octagon (an area now regularly used for street performances and markets). The renovation of The Octagon, and particularly the addition of a plaza area, has seen an increase in "al fresco" dining in The Octagon, which is now a major hub for Dunedin's restaurant and cafe culture.

The renovation of The Octagon also saw the installation of two walks featuring large plaques embedded in the paving. The larger of these is a "Writers' walk", featuring plaques inscribed with words from famous Dunedin writers and words about Dunedin by famous visiting writers. This walk extends around much of the upper Octagon. A second, smaller, walk along the central carriageway of The Octagon features plaques dedicated to Dunedin-born or based Olympic medallists.

References

* [http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=feat_octagon_history Dunedin City Council Octagon history page]

External links

* [http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=webcams_octagon The Dunedin City Council's Octagon webcam]
* [http://www.davidwallphoto.com/images/%7BE9DD33B9%2D2F50%2D4D35%2D99AB%2D7CA2556FB74D%7D%2Ejpg Aerial view of the Octagon, showing its octagonal shape]