By comparison with many other buildings designed in the 1930s, Wellington Railway Station was unusually retrograde in its appearance. Designed by William Grey Young, the station features a grand entrance, highlighted by eight Doric columns, which help make the station building one of the best-known Wellington landmarks. Inside, the huge coffered ceiling, apparently inspired by the Pennsylvania Station in New York, is also a standout feature.
The grandeur of the building was appropriate given that it was (and still is) the busiest railway station in the country and that the building was to house the head office of New Zealand Railways.
Today its successor, Toll New Zealand, still keeps some head office functions in the building, but the west wing of the building has been converted for use by Victoria University, as part of its Pipitea Campus.
Image reference: Alexander Turnbull Library 101158 1/2