Described as the out­stand­ing mon­u­ment of Edwar­dian archi­tec­ture in New Zealand, this is the best-known build­ing in Dunedin (apart, per­haps, from Forsyth Barr Sta­di­um). Opened in 1906, it has an atmos­phere and char­ac­ter unique to any pub­lic build­ing in New Zealand.