This building on Devon Street East was built in 1960 for the Farmers' Co-op Society. At the time it was the largest provincial departmental store and a "must do" shopping experience for many Taranaki people.
The architects were Porter & Martin of Wellington and the structural engineers D. Bruce-Smith & Associates.
Carparking facilities were provided in 1966 and in 1980 a third floor was added. This time the architects were Laurenson, Robinson and Jim Boon.
When the company consolidated its resources in the mid 1980s the store was sold to a Wellington businessman. It was then sold to a Nelson syndicate before being closed in May 1989 - a furniture company later opened on the ground floor.
A new lease of life for the building came when a decision was made to convert it into a multiplex cinema and shopping complex. However, before the go ahead to redevelop the building was made the owners had to win a bidding "war" with a rival proposal.
New Plymouth businessman Bob Paton announced plans for a second multiplex in his Carpet and Furniture Warehouse. Plans were drawn up and work started to renovate the building on Brougham Street - now the Grand Central Hotel.
The city could only support one cinema complex and after a spirited debate the Top Town complex was given the green light.
The complex opened on 22 October 1993 with 13 shops, a children's playground, a food court and four cinemas. The project was planned, designed and supervised by TSE Taranaki Limited.
New Plymouth developer Kevin Doody bought the building in 2010.
Related documents:
New Plymouth to have most modern department store in New Zealand (Taranaki Herald 22 October 1956)
Lifeline of a city - No.12 (Taranaki Herald 9 January 1960)
Changes in Devon Street NP Photo News 5 February 1960
Grand Opening (Taranaki Herald 18 October 1960)
Farmers New Features (Taranaki Herald 1 November 1960)
New Farmers Co-op Open (Taranaki Herald 25 November 1960)
The Farmers' Co-op Advertisement (Centennial '76: 100 years of local government in New Plymouth)
Farmers' Co-op Advertisement 1981
Multiplex War and Top Town Cinema
Multiplex War - Local Study, The change in the Cinema Industry...in New Plymouth, Nancy de Bueger (1994)
Top Town Cinema 4 History - Local Study, The change in the Cinema Industry...in New Plymouth, Nancy de Bueger (1994).
Second big retail centre announced (Daily News 13 August 1992)
$5m project for Devon Street (Daily News 24/10/1992)
Much work ahead of developers (Daily News 2 Nov 1992)
Demolition work under way for cinema complex (North Taranaki Weekender 24 January 1993)
$6m deal signed for top of town (Daily News 28/01/1993)
Committe signifies support for $6M project (Daily News 3 Feb 1993)
Major snag shelves airbridge (Daily News 25 February 1993)
Reel Fight Brewing (Daily News May 1993)
Developer adamant on cinema plans (Daily News 22 May 1993)
Movie feast for big screen lovers (North Taranaki Weekender 30 May 1993)
Top town project gathers momentum (DN 17/06/1993)
Struggle to keep movies in NP becoming an epic (DN 9 July 1992)
Toptown wins city's war of the cinemas (Daily News 14 July 1993)
Playground concept is a NZ first (Daily News Sept 1993)
Top Town story coming true tonight (Daily News 22 October 1993)
Colourful complex (Daily News 23 October 1993)
Child's play business booms (Daily News 4 July1994)
Multiplex proves to be box office smash (Daily News 15 October 1994)
New NP cinema will have latest technology (Daily News 20 November 1996)
Top Town Cinema 5 opens (Daily News 27 March 1997)
Top Town getting $1m makeover (Taranaki Daily News 26 November 2012)
The beginnings of Top Town cinema (Taranaki Daily News 20 July 2013)
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