Landmark Town Hall reopens
The atmosphere before the Christchurch Town Hall’s public opening felt more like the wait for one of the concerts the newly-refurbished building will soon hold.
Hundreds of people queued behind temporary fences from about 9am.
Saturday’s opening was the public’s first chance to experience the $167 million restoration – a price tag almost one-third over its original budget of $127.5m; $68m of that was covered by insurance.
Joy Ryan-Bloore was there when the Town Hall first opened in 1972.
She said the stunning restoration was one of the most significant events in the city’s recovery.
‘‘This is the sort of building that you can’t put a price on because it repres- ents so much more than something material. This is the heart and soul of the city.’’
Ryan-Bloore said she was grateful for the courage and vision of Sir Bob Parker and his council for committing to the restoration, and to incumbent mayor Lianne Dalziel and the present council for bringing it to completion.
Dr Robyn Hewland was also at the opening in 1972, and came on Saturday with a flyer from the original opening.
She said the Town Hall would bring people together because it was central and would be used frequently. Hewland said going ahead with restoration ‘‘couldn’t have been an easy decision’’ because of the cost.
She remembered the decision to build the Town Hall in the first place was not easy for the same reason.
Gerald Oliver played in the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in the auditorium soon after it opened in 1972. He was playing double bass with the Resonance Ensemble there yesterday. Oliver said it would be interesting to hear what the sound was like from the stage when the auditorium was full.
Over the weekend’s open days, people could tour the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium along with the Avon Room, formerly the Boaters Restaurant, and the Limes Room. The James Hay Theatre will reopen in April, the CSO’s new headquarters will be complete in May and the whole complex will be restored by August.