Sylvia Park facts for kids
A view over the main carpark and length of the centre, with the cinemas and railway station at the right rear
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| Location | Mount Wellington, Auckland |
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| Address | Mount Wellington Highway |
| Opening date | 10 June 2006 |
| Owner | Kiwi Property Group |
| No. of stores and services | 200+ |
| Total retail floor area | 71,000 sq m |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 3,800 spaces |
| Website | Sylvia Park |
Sylvia Park is a really big shopping centre and business area in Mount Wellington, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. The whole area around the shopping centre is also called Sylvia Park.
This huge shopping centre is right next to two main motorways in Auckland. This makes it super easy for people to get there.
Sylvia Park has over 200 different shops, including a big movie theater and a supermarket. You can also find many New Zealand banks and other types of stores there. About 2,500 people work at Sylvia Park.
In 2008, experts who rate shopping centres gave Sylvia Park the highest possible score: four stars! They loved how many shoppers it attracted and how easy it was to reach by car.
Contents
The History of Sylvia Park
How Sylvia Park Got Its Name
The name Sylvia Park comes from a large country house and horse farm that used to be here a long time ago, in the late 1800s. This was the country home of Sir Maurice O'Rorke. He was an important person who helped lead the New Zealand Parliament. Sir Maurice mostly used the land to breed horses. The old house was taken down in the 1960s. A road nearby, Carbine Road, is named after a famous racehorse called Carbine. He was born at the Sylvia Park horse farm!
Sylvia Park During Wartime
During World War II, the United States needed places to store supplies. They asked New Zealand to build storage buildings on the land that was once part of the Sylvia Park horse farm. Between 1943 and 1944, 48 large storage buildings were built there. These buildings were connected by roads and even had their own railway line. This was the biggest storage area built in Auckland at the time.
After the war, the United States forces left. The New Zealand Army then started using the site for their own storage in 1946. It became a military base with different army units, like vehicle depots and field hospitals. By 1992, the army no longer needed the site. The New Zealand government sold the land, and the old military buildings were taken down to make way for the shopping mall you see today.
Future Plans for Sylvia Park
Sylvia Park has continued to grow over the years. In 2020, a big expansion project was finished. This added a new nine-story office building and even more shops to the centre. This shows that Sylvia Park is always looking to get bigger and better for its visitors!
See also
In Spanish: Sylvia Park para niños
