When the Cromwell Mall was officially opened on a hot summer's day in February 1985, it was the culmination of more than 20 years of upheaval and argument in the district, triggered by the concept that eventually became the Clyde Dam.
Then mayor Peter Mead noted in his speech to a crowd estimated at between 2000 and 5000: "[the new town centre] has undergone a long period of gestation as arguments raged about its siting.
"It now gives Cromwell a place of eminence, a foundation upon which the town and the surrounding region can focus on as a commercial centre."
The $8 million town centre, which replaced the original main street, Melmore Tce, established during the gold mining boom years, was centrepiece of Cromwell's $63m redevelopment project, overseen by the Ministry of Works and Development.
This, in turn, was part of the National Government's $1.2 billion Upper Clutha power scheme centred on the construction of the Clyde Dam which formed Lake Dunstan and flooded part of Cromwell, and the Cromwell Gorge's many orchards and historic buildings.
