Building Investment Ltd (1940)

This building in Devon Street East was erected in 1940 for the company Building Investments Ltd. It was designed by well-known New Plymouth architect, Thomas H. Bates. 

Originally there was a factory at the rear (McLeod & Slade Printers) and shops fronting Devon Street East. The premises on Devon Street as at 2023: The Station (hairdressers), Elixir and Subway. 

In April 1940 an old wooden building on the site - known locally as the "Green Mill" - was demolished to make way for the new Bates' designed building. According to the Taranaki Herald (24 April 1940), the Green Mill was built in the early 1900s, and was originally the Masonic Stables. Later, with the advent of the motorcar, it became a garage, run in the 1930s by Mr E.A. Elliott. Also in the 1930s, one section of the building housed the Green Mill miniature golf course. 

(Plans held by Puke Ariki - ARC2004-1634)