This row of five reinforced concrete shops was constructed in the 1920s and is the largest surviving group of 1920s shops outside of New Plymouth's CBD.
The parapets of all five shops have survived largely unaltered since construction and have strong streetscape values. The shops at 553 and 555 seem to retain their original street-level frontages, with the lead-lights and tiles at number 553 a particular feature.
A newspaper article published in the Taranaki Herald on 17 July 1973 reported on the recent sale of the block of shops from the "estate of Mr C.F. Foote". Quoted in the article was local resident Miss D. Rennell who explained that Mr Foote had built the shops one by one, starting during World War I and completing them shortly before his death in 1924.
Relevant building permits:
A permit was granted to C. F. (Charles Frederick) Foote by the Borough Council on 1 August 1922 for the construction of Drapers Store on Section 9, Devon Street East, Fitzroy - W. H. Aburn was the builder, and the estimated construction cost was £670. It's currently unclear which of the five buildings this permit refers to.
A permit was granted to C. F. Foote by the Borough Council on 16 September 1922 for the construction of Chemist Shop and Bootmakers on Section 28, Devon Street - W. H. Aburn was the builder, and the estimated construction cost was £1000. It's currently unclear which two of the five buildings this permit refers to.
Related items:
Taranaki DP5212 Sheet 1 (1929), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)
Taranaki DP6450 Sheet 1 (1947), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)
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