Opera House, Wellington
Previously: State Opera House, The Grand Opera House | |
Address | 111–113 Manners Street Wellington New Zealand |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°17′29″S 174°46′40″E / 41.2915°S 174.7778°E |
Designation | NZHPT classification I |
Type | Opera House |
Capacity | 1,381 |
Construction | |
Opened | 1914 |
Architect | William Pitt |
Website | |
Venues Wellington: The Opera House | |
Designated | 27 June 1985 |
Reference no. | 1432 |
The Opera House is a proscenium theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, located on Manners Street opposite Te Aro Park.
History
The present Opera House replaced earlier buildings on Manners Street. The Imperial Opera House opened in 1878, but burnt down a year later.[1][2]
Construction work on the present building began in 1911. It was named The Grand Opera House in May 1913 with a plan to open early on Boxing Night that year.[3] The principal architect William Pitt was based in Melbourne, Australia, and much of the work was overseen by Wellington architect Albert Liddy.[4] The opera house finally opened on Easter Saturday of 12 April 1914 to an evening performance by the American Burlesque Company, with a full seating capacity of 2141 in three levels of stalls, dress circle and gallery, including 50 box seats.[5] The original seating upholstery was made and installed by the Wellington company Kirkcaldie & Stains, and the interior features fine plaster mouldings and an ornate dome.[3] The building was designed with brick masonry outer walls with wooden floors and a timber-framed roof.
A photo hanging in the dress circle foyer alcove is of Phyllis Porter a dancer in the J.C. Williamson Peep Show Company in 1923 who died in Wellington Hospital after her costume caught fire.[6]
In 1977 it was restored with funding from the New Zealand insurance company State Insurance, and for many years it was known as the State Opera House.[7]
In the 1990s and early 2000s the building was operated by the St James Theatre Trust, which ran the nearby
The Opera House was used for the theatre scenes in Peter Jackson's 2005 film King Kong.[11]
References
- Kernohoran, David, Wellington's Old Buildings, Victoria University Press, 1994, ISBN 0-86473-267-8(page 131)
- "Opera House". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand.
- Papers Past.
- Papers Past.
- ^ Papers Past.
- Papers Past.
- Papers Past.
- ^ Chumko, Andre (30 December 2023). "The Phantom of the Opera House". The Press. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ McConnell, Rhiannon (10 February 2016). "Opera House Lane's dark days". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Jackman, Amy (11 October 2012). "Opera House may close". The Wellingtonian. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ Jackman, Amy (23 October 2014). "Quake risk building's $1m upgrade". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Flahive, Brad (10 October 2016). "Wellington Opera House restoration recognised with award for its use of colour". Stuff. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency. "King Kong – where versatility was key". wellingtonnz.com. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
External links
Media related to Opera House, Wellington at Wikimedia Commons