.jpg) Lorne Street side (rear) of the St James Theatre, prior to demolition of adjacent buildings | |
 | |
| Address | 314 Queen Street Auckland New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°51′05″S 174°45′52″E / 36.851273°S 174.764408°E |
| Owner | Relianz Holdings[1] |
| Capacity | \ |
| Current use | Theatre under restoration |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Closed | 2007 |
| Architect | Henry Eli White |
| Designated | 11-Nov-1988 |
| Reference no. | 4404 |
The St James Theatre is a heritage stage theatre and cinema located near Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1928, it was a replacement for the older Fuller's Opera House and was originally designed for vaudeville acts. Its architect Henry Eli White also designed many other famous theatres in Australia and New Zealand including the St James Theatre in Wellington and the State Theatre in Sydney.[2]
The theatre has been closed since 2007 after a fire raised concerns about safety and compliance.[3] Purchased by Relianz Holdings in 2014, it is a restoration project with an Auckland Council contribution of $15 million.[4] Buildings on the adjacent sites were demolished by late-2016 to make way for the St James Suites, a 39-level, 309-apartment project.[5] However, in July 2019, no work had been done on the theatre since 2015 after funding for the apartment complex was lost.[4]
The theatre is classified as a Category I Historic building ("places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.[2]
- ^ "Auckland's St James Theatre to be renovated". Stuff.co.nz. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ a b "St James Theatre". New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- ^ "St James theatre blaze treated as suspicious". New Zealand Herald. 12 May 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- ^ a b "The Detail: The fate of Auckland's St James". Stuff.co.nz. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ "Funding issues hit St James apartments project in Auckland". NZ Herald. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.