Simon Brew outside the Victorian Room
The trust running Cambridge Town Hall has gone out to tender for the first stage of its improvements, the hall’s two side wings.
Town Hall general manager Simon Brew on the steps of the Victorian Room.
Known as the Victorian and Edwardian rooms, they will be upgraded this year using money Waipā District Council allocated in its Enhanced Annual Plan earlier this year.
The hall is owned by the council who lease it to a community trust to run on its behalf telling it two years ago – when they signed an operational agreement – the priority was to reactivate the 115-year-old hall and become self-funding.
That meant upgrading the “old lady” which had fallen into disrepair in some areas, particularly the two side rooms.
Town Hall Trust general manager Simon Brew said community feedback revealed the two spaces were not user-friendly.
“The renovations will make them more functional and attractive for a range of purposes. Their much-loved heritage features will, of course, be preserved and showcased in the process,” he said.
While the hall is experiencing a change of fortunes – booked out for months ahead and income double that of previous years – it needs more than $25 million to preserve and activate further.
Part of that money – $2.1 million – had been expected to come from the council itself but its precarious financial situation saw councillors take it out from its annual plan. Instead, the trust got its promised operating funds with an increase of $100,000 taking it through to $503,000 a year.
The project heading out to tender includes new lighting, carpets, wall finishes and curtains and more flexible spaces.
Victorian Room
The Victorian Room – on the western side opposite Victoria Square where work kicks off first in January – will have a new kitchenette and more toilet facilities making it more suitable as a standalone space for events.
Edwardian Room
The Edwardian Room – where work will start in March – will have a new commercial kitchen and bar with space for a moveable grand piano.
A new heating and cooling system is going in throughout the hall while new tables, digital TV screens, urns, kitchen appliances and glassware have already been added.
Designs from DPA Architects –known for their heritage work including Rotorua Museum, High Court in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay Opera House – will maximise the spaces’ potential.
Ginny Pedlow, the assigned architect, has a 25-year career across public buildings.
Octa Project Management’s Hamilton-based team will manage the renovation.
The staged approach means the venue can still be used throughout the renovations.
Meanwhile the trust will make a submission to the council’s Long Term Plan and show designs for additional work in the Heritage New Zealand Category Two historic building. They are likely to show how the old Prince William Theatre space – unused for 30 years – could be used.
“The feedback and input we received, both from workshops and new users from the last year, has assisted us greatly. There are, of course, compromises, but we’re confident the improvements will serve both existing hires as well as increase the diversity of future bookings for the hall,” says Brew.
Cambridge Town Hall
