Bid to save town’s theatre
A heritage group hopes a recent discovery could save Timaru’s Majestic Theatre from demolition.
Urban design expert Nigel Gilkison, a member of Majestic Timaru, a group recently formed to save the building, said the theatre could house the country’s oldest purpose-built picture theatre. The information had only just come to light.
“The Lyceum, Timaru’s earliest cinema was built in 1911,” Gilkison said. “The assumption was that when the Majestic was built in 1929, the Lyceum came down.”
However, he said shops fronting onto Stafford St were demolished, as was an arcade leading to the Lyceum at the back, but the Lyceum was retained, extended and refurbished with seating for 1200 people.
“The Lyceum is still there forming the main auditorium of the Majestic which would make it the oldest cinema in the country. That accolade is currently held by the Victoria Theatre in Devonport, which opened on October 26, 1912, 15 months after the Lyceum. It is still difficult to say definitively if (the Lyceum) is the oldest; there could be others out there.”
Gilkison said he had heard from several people the original screen on the Lyceum’s back wall was still in the building, as well as other historical items. “I’ve just sent an email to the mayor and council CEO asking if they would hold off demolishing the building until a proper heritage assessment could be done.”
The demolition, which had been expected to start early this year, had been delayed by the discovery of asbestos in the building.
Gilkison said although the Majestic was not on the Timaru District Council’s district plan heritage list, nor on the Heritage NZ schedule, a pause should be made for a heritage expert to investigate the building.