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The first borough council offices in Oamaru were in a wooden building on the south side of the Thames Street Bridge, occupied since the 1860s, but by the turn of the century were considered too small for hosting civic events, as well as being "old and unsightly". The only public hall in Oamaru, the
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Changes to the floor plan over the years have included removal of walls and construction of new stairs. The Opera House was refurbished in 1997 to include a new ground floor theatre. The foyer was also upgraded and strengthening work carried out to the overall structure. A further redevelopment in
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According to conservation architect Chris
Cochran the building ‘is a significant example nationally of the Edwardian Baroque style, a bold and assertive design that proclaims the prosperity and pride of the town of Oamaru...The design significance is particularly evident in the interior –
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The auditorium had a raked floor to the orchestra pit, an upstairs gallery, and seated 1007 people. The town hall and council chambers were lit by gas, while the Opera House was lit by electricity.
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Builders
Winsley and Sons were contracted to construct the building for £10,600, although the design was then altered to include both a second storey and a concert hall.
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The Opera House was used to show moving pictures and live acts, political meetings and town celebrations. The former
Council Chambers house memorial honour rolls.
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laid the foundation stone in
October 1906, and the building was officially opened on 8 October the following year. The building is constructed of the local
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and conference venue. Besides a complete range of civic functions, the Opera House has hosted theatre, ballet, concerts, cinema and boxing.
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The building was registered by the New
Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I item in December 1993, with registration number 7356.
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In 1989 the Oamaru
Borough council was combined with Waitaki County, Waihemo County, and Palmerston Borough councils to create
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instigated the purchase of land for a new town hall in 1905, and the
Council called for designs. Oamaru architect
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particularly the
Proscenium arch, circle, council chambers, and the plaster ceilings in the theatre circle."
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is a historic building and current performance venue on the east coast of the South Island of
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Theatre Royal, had been lost to redevelopment which made the situation more urgent. Mayor
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won the competition. Forrester was the son of another local architect
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The current building includes a 500-seat auditorium, a cafe, a
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467:"Oamaru Chief Post Office (Former) | Heritage New Zealand"
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Heritage New
Zealand Category 1 historic places in Otago
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16:Opera house and former town hall in New Zealand
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291:Heritage award for Heritage Conservation.
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348:"Oamaru Opera House (formerly Town Hall)"
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508:Buildings and structures in Oamaru
477:from the original on 28 April 2021
387:from the original on 28 April 2021
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513:1900s architecture in New Zealand
437:"Home – Waitaki District Council"
447:from the original on 19 May 2021
417:from the original on 19 May 2021
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154:https://oamaruoperahouse.co.nz/
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285:Southern Architecture Awards
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303:Waitaki District Council
103:45.098603°S 170.970322°E
135:Design and construction
246:Construction and style
233:John Meggett Forrester
108:-45.098603; 170.970322
143:John Megget Forrester
411:Waitaki, New Zealand
407:"Oamaru Opera House"
356:Heritage New Zealand
119:Construction started
471:www.heritage.org.nz
441:www.waitaki.govt.nz
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58:Architectural style
53:General information
381:Oamaru Opera House
200:Oamaru Opera House
181:Reference no.
71:90 Thames Street,
35:Oamaru Opera House
24:Oamaru Opera House
296:black box theatre
259:Edwardian Baroque
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122:October 1906
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212:New Zealand
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94:170°58′13″E
81:Coordinates
497:Categories
313:References
173:Designated
91:45°05′55″S
377:"History"
257:, in the
127:Completed
475:Archived
445:Archived
415:Archived
385:Archived
68:Location
261:style.
222:History
148:Website
481:19 May
451:19 May
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391:19 May
361:26 May
208:Oamaru
73:Oamaru
483:2021
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363:2023
202:and
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
