The Auckland railway station was built by the New Zealand Public Works Department between 1928 and 1930 and sits on reclaimed land on Beach Road close to the wharves.

The grand and ornate building was intended to serve as a gateway to the city, and its construction cost of £320,000 was the largest independent contract awarded in New Zealand.

It has great historical importance for its associations with the public building programme of the 1920s, and with the central role played by the railways in national transport.

Of particular interest is the magnificent metal ceiling in the main lobby, this item was manufactured in Germany and the parts shipped out and reassembled to create one of the most remarkable structures in the country.

The rest of the lobby is a showpiece of expensive imported marble and fine bronze detailing with a beautiful terazzo floor.

Underpasses and ramps linked the station building with an extended platform network to the rear, built with elegant concrete canopies and other elements as integral parts of the original design and function.

A single platform remained in use to serve a limited number of peak-hour suburban services which continued to operate for several months after the opening of Britomart, known as The Strand Station.

In November 2008, the university announced that it would no longer be using the building for student accommodation, due to weather-tightness issues and associated works.

The station featured in the 1984 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, starring David Bowie, as the location of a military tribunal set in Batavia, Dutch East Indies.