page_title: Cuba Street, Wellington
section_title: History and location
hierarchical_section_title: Cuba Street, Wellington / History and location
context_page_description: Cuba Street is a prominent city street in Wellington, New Zealand. The section between Dixon Street and Ghuznee Street is a pedestrian mall.
context_section_description: Cuba Street runs south from the CBD of Wellington in the inner city. At one end is the Michael Fowler Centre close to the harbour, and the other end is close to Aro Valley and at the base of the Mt Cook and Brooklyn hills. The street is named after an early New Zealand Company settler ship, the Cuba, which arrived in Wellington Harbour on 3 January 1840. Cuba Street runs across land that was once next to Te Aro Pā and gardens of Māori iwi who lived there. 
  One of the first colonial families that purchased land around upper Cuba Street were the Tonks in the 1840s. They established brickyards, and streets in the area were named after them including Tonks Ave, Arthur Street, and Frederick Street. Cuba Street was a major thoroughfare in this time. It was sealed in the late 1800s and got gas street lamps in 1860s. The historic area of upper Cuba Street near Tonks Ave and Arthur Street was majorly re-formed due to a controversial inner city bypass road that was completed in 2007.     
  For 60 years Cuba Street was an electric tram line (1904–1964) as part of the Wellington tramway system. After the tramlines were removed and following public pressure the middle section of the street closed to traffic in 1969 to become a pedestrian mall and has remained so. 
  Since 1995 Cuba Street has been a registered Historic Area under the Historic Places Act 1993, with over 40 buildings of historic significance including the Bank of New Zealand building. Despite the number of older buildings in the street, there was little building damage from the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. 
  Cuba Street is the centre of one of the four 'quarters' of downtown Wellington, the Cuba Quarter, the other quarters are centred on Lambton Quay, Courtenay Place and Willis Street.
caption: Carmen Rupe pedestrian crossing light at the Vivian and Cuba Street intersection
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