L Y N N M A L L S I G N T O W E R
Lynn Mall was an expression of modernism in Auckland’s 1960s suburbia. The mall has become victim to extensive alterations and additions over the last few decades that have overwritten the form of the original buildings. The pylon sign tower, subject to this report could be considered to be the last architectural remnant of the original 1960s development.
The sign tower has been designed as a freestanding structure, located close to the Great North Road at a car park exit. The structure is highly visible to the passing public as it is positioned on prominent commercial site alongside a busy roadway.
The tower is sited at what was the main vehicle entrance, at the time of construction. The entrance was given greater prominence by emphasising its location with a tall monumental tower that could be seen from considerable distance. The tower was a kind of beacon, directed at attracting vehicle traffic to the large car park at the front of the mall. The car park in itself made headlines at the time of the Lynn Malls opening because of its scale. It was an important and admired aspect of the ‘modern’ shopping complex
The sign tower structure is a type of modernist monument. It was intended to represent, in a simplified and reduced form, the modernist aesthetic of the Lynn Mall buildings. These buildings no longer exist in their original form.