If the walls could talk…
Built on the site of the previous Auckland entertainment venue, the Trocadero Dine and Dance, the MLC Building was designed by Mitchell and Mitchell and commissioned by the Australian based insurance company Mutual Life and Citizen’s Assurance Company Inc. during expansion throughout New Zealand following the Great Depression. After opening in December 1956, the distinctive wedge shaped building was reportedly hailed as a “dignified and attractive addition to Auckland’s main business area” and as “an expression of confidence in the future greatness of the city”.
Nine stories high, it was the tallest building in Auckland and boasted the most modern lifts in Australasia; three high speed lifts capable of carrying 16 people at 500 feet a minute as well as featuring what were then innovative aluminium alloy window frames.
Our Historic Places Trust Category 2 rated building has housed several government tenants in the past including the Secret Service, if rumour is to be believed. In 1999, the building was sensitively converted into a hotel/apartment complex while retaining the Art Deco design of the building. The complex has been managed by Scenic Hotel Group since its opening.