Phoenix palms are known to go very well with ‘Spanish Mission’ style architecture (eg. see Stanford University [1]), but this group also shows how well they go with art deco architecture. Libertyland was known as an ‘unmissable landmark’ of Palmerston North during almost 70 years of operation as a clothing factory employing up to 80 staff [2]. As the early aerial photo shows it was originally an imposing building, completed in 1946, on the outskirts of the city [3]. Planted circa 1955 the 16 palms are listed as notable in the Palmerston North District Plan; unfortunately, the building that they grew up around was demolished in 2012 due to the high cost of earthquake strengthening work [2]. After demolition and sale, the first replacement building was for Lychgate Funeral, followed by a Waitomo petrol station, a consequence of the latter was the loss of one palm for a new road entry. The remaining 16 palms are flourishing, albeit not so well complemented by the building style that replaced Libertyland.
References:
1.‘Trees of Stanford’, available at: (https://)trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/PHOca.htm
2. Tina White, ‘Behind the scenes of a fixture in the city landscape’, Manawatu Standard, April 7, 2018.
3. Whites Aviation Ltd, Ref: WA-21184-G, Alexander Turnbull Library, record 22809865.