It contains offices, accommodation, tourist shopping, entertainment, food, art and buskers offering many genres of free performance.

The north-eastern side of Courtenay Place was beach until the 1855 earthquake when it became swamp drained by the stream from the Basin Reserve between Kent and Cambridge Terraces.

It is reported[4] that "the first building of any importance in Courtenay Place was built shortly after 1900 by local butcher and businessman, John Rod JP".

It is now a heritage listed building, originally designed by T S Lambert, situated on the eastern corner of Allen Street and Courtenay Place.

[6] On 11 February 2025, the Wellington City Council confirmed that it would begin work to pedestrianise the Golden Mile area between Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place in April 2025.

Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus expressed concern that these changes could affect local businesses and emphasised the need for consultation.

Designed by Llewellyn Williams and constructed of reinforced concrete, it included classical external and internal architectural details.

It was purchased by the Embassy Theatre Trust in 1997 with financial underwriting of the refurbishment programme by Wellington City Council.

[citation needed] Paramount Theatre (no longer operational) was until 2017 the oldest surviving cinema in Wellington, still with its original name.

Originally a part of Te Aro beach, in August 1916 the location of the Paramount was purchased by John James Williamson.

The complex was temporarily shut down for safety reasons, after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake damaged an adjacent parking building beyond repair.

The steel frame allowed for an unsupported 80 ft (25 m) span roof structure and also provided good resistance to earthquake damage.