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contributed to disappointing attendances, as did O'Brien's stubborn insistence on showing
British rather than the more popular American films; he eventually declared bankruptcy. After several modifications during the following decades, the theatre was eventually restored to an approximation of its
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With supreme confidence in the future of
Auckland, and with gratitude to those who have toiled with me in this great endeavour, I present to my fellow citizens the consummation of an ideal – the creating of a place of entertainment symbolising the progressive spirit of our beautiful
435:, who considered demolishing the venue. After a campaign by a protest group named the Friends of the Civic, the council spent $ 41.8 million dollars to refurbish the venue. It reopened in 1999 for both film and theatre, followed by the Wintergarden re-opening in 2000.
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in
Australasia and was the first purpose-built cinema of its kind in New Zealand. It is also known for its Indian-inspired foyer, which includes seated Buddhas, twisted columns and domed ceilings. The main auditorium is of a similarly exotic style, imitating a
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The theatre was the creation of Thomas O'Brien, who built a movie empire in
Auckland's inner suburbs in the 1920s, and brought the atmospheric cinema to New Zealand when he opened
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style wherein lighting and interior design create the illusion of an open sky complete with twinkling stars, giving the audience the impression of being seated in an outdoor
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The
Wintergarden, an underground ballroom in the Civic complex, became one of the major centres of entertainment for American soldiers who were stationed in Auckland during
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By the 1960s, the Civic struggled as a venue, as the theatre was too large for modern film audiences, and faced increased competition in the 1990s after the
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The Civic accommodated 2,750 people at its opening, and is still the largest theatre in New
Zealand even at its current reduced-seating capacity.
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is a large heritage combination performing-arts theatre, live-music venue, and cinema seating 2,378 people in
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in 1928. O'Brien persuaded a group of wealthy
Auckland businessmen to build a massive atmospheric cinema on
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as the final price tag ballooned to over £200,000 (approximately NZ$ 18.9 million in 2016).
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The Civic opened amid great fanfare in
December 1929, but the onset of the
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Heritage New
Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Auckland Region
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The theatre also gained some fame when its interiors were used in
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The Civic is internationally significant as the largest surviving
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loan and soaring construction costs caught the attention of the
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opened nearby. In 1993, the building's lease reverted to the
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582:"Reserve Bank of NZ Inflation calculator"
367:for the project. The cinema was built by
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185:(indirectly through Auckland Unlimited)
245:Heritage New Zealand – Category 1
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743:Buildings and structures in Auckland
503:. Regional Facilities Auckland. 2017
401:original design in the late-1990s.
773:1929 establishments in New Zealand
295:at night. The Civic is managed by
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778:1920s architecture in New Zealand
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673:Photographs of the Civic Theatre
371:over eight months. However, the
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27:Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand
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561:"O'Brien, Thomas Alexander"
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763:Theatres completed in 1929
339:Abyssinian panther statues
48:The theatre from the front
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685:Civic Theatre (Auckland)
532:"Civic Theatre Building"
315:Civic Theatre auditorium
143:36.851072°S 174.763920°E
607:Haworth, Jenny (2016).
420:, and erotic dances by
200:Design and construction
18:Civic Theatre, Auckland
753:Cinemas in New Zealand
679:' heritage collection.
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377:New Zealand Parliament
357:Empire De Luxe Theatre
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208:Charles Bohringer and
148:-36.851072; 174.763920
687:at Knowledge (XXG)'s
645:"King Kong Locations"
609:Auckland Then and Now
433:Auckland City Council
369:Fletcher Construction
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328:garden with turrets,
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299:, a business unit of
220:Fletcher Construction
768:Atmospheric theatres
758:Theatres in Auckland
540:Heritage New Zealand
649:Tourism New Zealand
365:Bank of New Zealand
289:atmospheric theatre
210:William T. Leighton
139: /
83:Architectural style
58:General information
677:Auckland Libraries
611:. United Kingdom:
418:Bernard Montgomery
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321:atmospheric cinema
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301:Auckland Unlimited
260:Reference no.
179:Auckland Unlimited
622:978-1-910904-79-4
615:. p. 38-39.
414:Eleanor Roosevelt
355:'s Moorish-style
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16:(Redirected from
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652:. Retrieved
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564:. Retrieved
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543:. Retrieved
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505:. Retrieved
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429:Aotea Centre
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416:and General
406:World War II
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361:Queen Street
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307:Significance
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255:27 June 1985
205:Architect(s)
104:Town or city
98:Queen Street
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654:16 February
587:9 September
545:21 December
494:"The Civic"
467:"The Civic"
422:Freda Stark
159:Inaugurated
146: /
134:174°45′50″E
121:Coordinates
115:New Zealand
737:Categories
631:Q116870435
507:3 November
453:References
293:auditorium
252:Designated
131:36°51′04″S
566:31 August
446:King Kong
170:1998–1999
167:Renovated
675:held in
627:Wikidata
410:Bob Hope
389:—
330:Minarets
285:Auckland
190:Landlord
107:Auckland
473:31 July
353:Dunedin
347:History
326:Moorish
112:Country
93:Address
629:
619:
707:Media
497:(PDF)
385:city.
234:2,378
175:Owner
75:venue
724:Data
656:2008
617:ISBN
589:2016
568:2015
547:2009
509:2017
475:2016
96:267
63:Type
442:'s
373:BNZ
278:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
