The owner of Auckland’s St James Theatre has purchased
two neighbouring properties on Queen Street and Lorne
Street.
The heritage theatre, which opened in 1928,
has been closed since a fire in 2007.
But in 2023, the
government and Auckland Council each committed
$15 million toward its restoration, and work is underway
to reopen
the theatre for its 100th anniversary in 2028.
St
James owner, Steve Bielby, said the trust that owned St
James Holdings, the Auckland Notable Properties Trust, had
purchased 330-332 Queen Street and 57 Lorne Street.
He
said it was a strategic decision that would make it easier
to complete structural upgrades on the theatre’s south
side.
“These buildings were built around 1900, and
they’re hard up against the St James Theatre. So when we
structurally upgrade the theatre, it will essentially
destroy the building next door in an earthquake, so we have
to do some works to that wall. Those works are a lot easier
to do on the site than from within the St James
site.”
He said the purchase also presented
opportunities for expansion.
“It’s essentially a full
site that runs from Queen Street to Lorne Street. It makes
us the majority of the block, and it’s a through-site link.
There are lots of hospitality offerings that could go in
there. It would be a great hotel site. There are lots of
options to complement a theatre.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“It also gives the
ability to do what they did at The Civic. Larger-scale,
Disney-style productions like Singing in the Rain require a
larger backstage, so the backstage has to be extended. We’re
not planning to do it, but this gives that option if that
was ever desired.”
He said he bought the sites, which
were currently commercial premises, from a family that had
owned them for more than half a century.
He said the
family had been very supportive of the theatre’s
restoration.
The combined rateable value of the two
properties is $7.55 million, but the St James Theatre said
the purchase price was
confidential.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
Â