Statement of Significance
Town halls are central to the civic life of all communities, and the Wellington Town Hall is no exception. Now almost
100 years old, it has great historic value as the scene of civic receptions, banquets, balls, flower shows, jumble sales,
boxing matches, exhibitions, college prize giving ceremonies, organ recitals, concerts by the National Orchestra, and
performances by bands as famous as the Beatles. It provides an incredibly versatile space in its main auditorium, one
that has been internationally acclaimed for its fine acoustic qualities for orchestral music. It is an architectural and
cultural treasure of Wellington city, strengthened and adapted now for continuing use.
The design is the most important work of architect Joshua Charlesworth, the result of a national competition
Wellington's earthquakes have required the removal of exterior ornament, but major elements of the structure, also the
entrance, halls, stairways and auditorium retain their original integrity. There is technical value in the structure and
finishes, and significant townscape value for the contribution the building makes to the city's new heart, the Civic
Square. It is the oldest building in this composition of disparate but compatible buildings, providing the historical and
cultural anchor to the space.
History
A design competition for Wellington's first town hall was held in 1875. The winning design was by Thomas Turnbull
but other priorities meant that only one wing was built; it was sited in Brandon Street.
By the 1890s the lack of a proper town hall was being keenly felt, there being no combined facility for council
administration and major public events. An area had been set aside for a building on land reclaimed on Jervois Quay by
the Wellington City Council between 1886-1890. In 1900 the council finally decided to build a town hall, at a cost of
£50,000. It held another competition and the winner was Joshua Charlesworth.
The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of York (later King George V) on 18 June 1901. However, tenders were
not called until the following year. The successful contractors were Paterson, Martin and Hunter. Work began in May
1902 and was completed in November 1904, at a final cost in excess of £68,000. A separate contract of £7,000 for a pipe
organ was let to Norman and Beard in London; it was installed in 1906.
The building was very well received, in particular for the acoustics, which have received plaudits ever since. The building
included a clock tower but there was no clock until one was donated in 1922 by John Blundell, the son of the founder
of the Evening Post. Unfortunately the tower was taken down in 1934, as a precaution following the 1931 Napier
earthquake. The clock was eventually rehoused in the Central Fire Station.
The work in 1934 also saw the removal of most of the building's high level decoration, also the entrance portico. In
1943-44, as a consequence of the 1942 earthquake, the building was strengthened and Corinthian columns removed and
replaced with plainer versions.
By the 1970s the building was facing demolition. The new Michael Fowler Centre was built very close to the older building in
anticipation of its removal. However a case was argued by the Wellington Regional Committee of the NZHPT for the
building's retention on historic and cultural grounds. The WCC agreed to retain the building in 1979.
In 1989, the Town Hall was incorporated into a new civic square, built over Mercer Street, that integrated a new office
building and city into the complex of existing buildings. The Town Hall was substantially refurbished and
strengthened, with the loss of the former Concert Chamber and toilets. The building reopened in 1992.
Description
The Town Hall was designed in an Edwardian Classical style. Today, having lost its main portico, tower, pediments,
entablature and parapet, the building could be described as Stripped Classical by attrition. It seems clear that the large
tower and pedimented portico were important elements of the original design. Without them, and the fine parapet of
the original, the present Town Hall seems a plain civic structure with only a restrained civic monumentality to
recommend it from the outside.
The main architectural feature is the use of a giant order rising over the three storeys of the facade. This order, once
Corinthian, is now a plain Tuscan, set regularly between windows, and standing on small pedestals. The entablature is
now stripped, with only a row of dentils under the upper cornice remaining of the original. The first-floor windows,
and the ground-floor secondary entrances, all carry pedimented hoods.
The construction is load-bearing brick masonry laid in cement mortar. The solid brick walls stand on concrete strip
foundations carried on concrete piles. Columns, cornices, and other embellishments, have been moulded in concrete
The roof trusses across the major spaces are "engineered" queen-post types, made out of massive Oregon timbers
joined by steel plates.
The glory of the building lies in its refurbished interior, particularly the main auditorium, which possesses acoustic
qualities exemplary for symphony, choral and solo works. Musicians of international standing such as Uri Segal have
praised the hall as comparable with the best halls in Europe.
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