Band rotunda hosts Hamilton’s history
Reporter looks into the history of the Hamilton Band Rotunda for our new series,
It was where protesters started and ended their passionate marches; numbers in the hundreds wrapping around its curve.
It seemed demonstrators were attracted to its welcoming position which was ironic, as Hamilton’s band rotunda was built in an area which was considered unattractive at the time.
Built in 1916 of cast iron and kauri, the Hamilton Band Rotunda sits between Grantham, Victoria and Bridge St, with an embracing view of the Waikato river.
It was constructed on the Ferrybank site by C.L. Lowe, at a cost of £362 10s, following some persuasion by the Hamilton Beautifying Society.
The structure is classed by the Historic Places Trust as a Category II building, and in the Hamilton District Plan as having an A rating (of highly significant heritage value to Hamilton).
For a number of years it hosted performances by brass bands, particularly on Sunday afternoons.
Some of the earliest performances were by the Frankton Municipal Band on September 24, 1916 and the 16th Waikato Regimental Band on October 15, 1916. It was documented that both were well attended.
But not only was the rotunda an ideal place to play music to a populous crowd; it was also ideal for protests.
In April 1970, the Waikato Times reported that students were organising a silent march down Victoria St to protest the Vietnam War.
On the day, the march started from the band rotunda at the south end of Victoria St at 7pm with about 200 demonstrators.
They were joined by another 200-plus as they marched towards Garden Place.
And in 2015, a climate parade concluded at the rotunda, and it was reported that hundreds took part in the march, with ‘‘enough in the Hamilton parade to fill a lane of Victoria St from Garden Place to Collingwood St’’.
The band rotunda last year celebrated its centenary.
How many people have sat under its arches in its 100 years?