Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) recognition. The Dunedin Municipal Chambers (Dunedin Town Hall), Civic Centre and Public Library lie in the Octagon's northwestern quadrant, between George Street and Upper Stuart Street, as does St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, which is separated from the municipal buildings by the narrow Harrop Lane. Both the Municipal Chambers and cathedral are listed as Category I buildings by the NZHPT. The Octagon's southwestern quadrant contains Dunedin Public Art Gallery, which sits on the former site of the D.I.C. building on the corner of Princes Street, a multiplex cinema, and a major office block, Forsyth Barr House. The southeastern quadrant contains the Regent Theatre (Dunedin's largest live theatre) and the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute, which operates a private lending library and a theatre. Both of these structures also have Category I NZHPT ratings. Several cafes and bars complete this quadrant, and similar businesses also make up much of the Octagon's northeastern quadrant, along with a second office block, Burns House. Many of the Octagon's bars and cafes have provision for al fresco dining, making the Octagon a lively place. The area within the roadway — with the exception of the central thoroughfare between George and Princes Streets — is a pedestrian reserve, grassed and terraced in the upper half, and paved in the lower. A street market occupies much of the paved area once a week. The paved area contains both water features and a giant chessboard. Both it and the grassed area in the upper octagon are frequently the venues for open-air meetings and entertainment. The terrace is surmounted by an 1887 statue by Sir John Steell of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, which has a Category I listing in the NZHPT register. The poet's nephew, Thomas Burns, was one of the founders of the city. The statue stands on the McMillan Terrace, a vantage point over the Octagon, which was presented to the city by philanthropist Alexander McMillan in 1967. History The Octagon was first laid out during Charles Kettle's surveying of the city in 1846. His plans for the centre of Dunedin included a large Octagonal area (Moray Place) enclosing a smaller octagonal space, originally designated as a reserve. This status was embodied in law in 1854, six years after the arrival of the first European settlers to the city. At this stage in Dunedin's history the area was officially designated as "the Square