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Story: Streets and lighting

Verandah collapse

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Verandah collapse

This verandah in Auckland’s Queen Street collapsed in 1955. Early verandahs were structurally supported by poles on the edge of footpaths. This made them vulnerable to being hit by vehicular traffic, sometimes causing them to collapse. Others fell down because they were poorly maintained. It is uncertain what caused the Queen Street collapse – possibly a combination of both.

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Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

Reference: H1535

Permission of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Adrian Humphris, Streets and lighting – Street verandahs, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/24492/verandah-collapse (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Adrian Humphris, published 6 April 2010.