125 Queen Street is an example of how Auckland is combining the old with the new. At the base is the 1865 BNZ Bank Building, now called Queen’s Rise. In 1986, the 314 foot glass Bank of New Zealand Tower became the visual centerpiece of the address. After an extensive renovation in 2017, the former BNZ Tower was renamed 125Q and began marketing as a “new” office complex with 25 floors of A-grade commercial space. Also new is a huge LED screen flashing rotating advertisements next to the historic BNZ façade. The handsome Victorian Italianate structure on the left is the Blacketts Building. This was the headquarters for the South British Insurance Company when it opened in 1879.
