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Wellington Town Hall
History
HistoryIn 1875, the Wellington City Council organised a competition for the design of a Town Hall and offices to be sited in Brandon Street. The competition was won by Thomas Turnbull, with a proposal for an ‘ornate as well as substantial’ design ‘with a tower in the centre’. Turnbull’s design was, however, never completed and only one wing of the building was constructed. This served as the Council offices for the following two decades.
By the 1890s, the city was growing quickly and the lack of a town hall, where a council administration and a venue for major public events could be combined in one place, was becoming an urgent matter. Land had been set aside during the 1886-1890 reclamation of Jervois Quay and in 1900 the Council finally decided to build a town hall at a cost of £50,000. Architects were invited to compete and send designs for a new town hall and municipal buildings that would house a concert hall for 3000 people, the Council Chamber, departmental and public offices, and a reception room for 500-700 people. The winner of the competition was Joshua Charlesworth who had entered under the nom de plume ‘Commonwealth’. It was noted by Mayor G.W. Aitken as being strongly drawn and a well organised design in the Classical Renaissance manner.
The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of York, later King George V, on the 18th June 1901 in a grand ceremony. The foundation stone, “a polished piece of Victorian granite, of about three tons weight, contained in a receptacle specimens of the current coins of the realm, copies of the New Zealand Times and Evening Post, and a manuscript statement of the events leading up to the decision to erect a hall for the city”. However, tenders for the construction were not called until a year later. The successful contractors were Paterson, Martin, and Hunter. Work began in 1902 and was completed by 1904, at a final cost in excess of £68,000. A separate contract for £7,000 for a pipe organ was let to Norman and Beard in London this was installed by J. Tustin, organ builder, in 1906.
The building was well received when it officially opened, bedecked with flags draped from cornices and pinnacles. On December 7th 1904 Mayor Aitken led a robed procession into the building where Elgar’s ‘Imperial March’ and Mendelssohn’s ‘Hymn of Praise’ were performed by the orchestra and large choir or the musical union, conducted by Robert Parker, before a crowd of 3000. The acoustics of the building were particularly commented upon, with the Wellington Times noting that ‘the experts and general public agreed in pronouncing the acoustic properties of the hall to be perfect’, and that the Wellington Town Hall was ‘superior to the more costly and ornate Sydney Town Hall where speakers generally have great difficulty in making themselves heard’. The Times also notes that the ‘structure as a whole is a fine and imposing piece of architecture and is a credit to the city […] a visible emblem of the importance and stability of Wellington’.
Wellington’s Town Hall was originally surmounted by a large tower which was intended to house a town clock and chimes, but it remained blank for nearly 20 years. In 1922 a clock was donated by John Blundell, the son of the founder of the Evening Post, and it was erected in 1923. Unfortunately, in the wake of the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake the whole tower was removed as a precaution and the clock was eventually re-housed in the Central Fire Station. The 1931 earthquake saw a seismic code of practice for structures introduced and the Town Hall received a comprehensive examination according to these rules. Substantial alterations were made to the exterior of the building including the removal of the tower and main entrance portico, all pediments, parapet balustrades and pinnacles, and alterations to the main cornice. DescriptionDistrict Plan Reference: 17/ 325
Legal Description: Lots 2-14 DP 10801 Sec 1 SO 35243 & SO 35628
Heritage New Zealand Listed: 1/Historic Place 3275
Archaeological Site: NZAA Central City R27/270; Part Reclamation ‘K’ 1889 R27/456
By the 1890s, the city was growing quickly and the lack of a town hall, where a council administration and a venue for major public events could be combined in one place, was becoming an urgent matter. Land had been set aside during the 1886-1890 reclamation of Jervois Quay and in 1900 the Council finally decided to build a town hall at a cost of £50,000. Architects were invited to compete and send designs for a new town hall and municipal buildings that would house a concert hall for 3000 people, the Council Chamber, departmental and public offices, and a reception room for 500-700 people. The winner of the competition was Joshua Charlesworth who had entered under the nom de plume ‘Commonwealth’. It was noted by Mayor G.W. Aitken as being strongly drawn and a well organised design in the Classical Renaissance manner.
The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of York, later King George V, on the 18th June 1901 in a grand ceremony. The foundation stone, “a polished piece of Victorian granite, of about three tons weight, contained in a receptacle specimens of the current coins of the realm, copies of the New Zealand Times and Evening Post, and a manuscript statement of the events leading up to the decision to erect a hall for the city”. However, tenders for the construction were not called until a year later. The successful contractors were Paterson, Martin, and Hunter. Work began in 1902 and was completed by 1904, at a final cost in excess of £68,000. A separate contract for £7,000 for a pipe organ was let to Norman and Beard in London this was installed by J. Tustin, organ builder, in 1906.
The building was well received when it officially opened, bedecked with flags draped from cornices and pinnacles. On December 7th 1904 Mayor Aitken led a robed procession into the building where Elgar’s ‘Imperial March’ and Mendelssohn’s ‘Hymn of Praise’ were performed by the orchestra and large choir or the musical union, conducted by Robert Parker, before a crowd of 3000. The acoustics of the building were particularly commented upon, with the Wellington Times noting that ‘the experts and general public agreed in pronouncing the acoustic properties of the hall to be perfect’, and that the Wellington Town Hall was ‘superior to the more costly and ornate Sydney Town Hall where speakers generally have great difficulty in making themselves heard’. The Times also notes that the ‘structure as a whole is a fine and imposing piece of architecture and is a credit to the city […] a visible emblem of the importance and stability of Wellington’.
Wellington’s Town Hall was originally surmounted by a large tower which was intended to house a town clock and chimes, but it remained blank for nearly 20 years. In 1922 a clock was donated by John Blundell, the son of the founder of the Evening Post, and it was erected in 1923. Unfortunately, in the wake of the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake the whole tower was removed as a precaution and the clock was eventually re-housed in the Central Fire Station. The 1931 earthquake saw a seismic code of practice for structures introduced and the Town Hall received a comprehensive examination according to these rules. Substantial alterations were made to the exterior of the building including the removal of the tower and main entrance portico, all pediments, parapet balustrades and pinnacles, and alterations to the main cornice. DescriptionDistrict Plan Reference: 17/ 325
Legal Description: Lots 2-14 DP 10801 Sec 1 SO 35243 & SO 35628
Heritage New Zealand Listed: 1/Historic Place 3275
Archaeological Site: NZAA Central City R27/270; Part Reclamation ‘K’ 1889 R27/456
Details
Established1902 - 1904Location TypeBuilding
Location
Geo Coords[1] 101 Wakefield Street, Wellington Central, Wellington
Connections
Associated OrganisationsWellington City CouncilAssociated PeopleJoshua Charlesworth
More Information
More informationWellington Heritage Inventory DetailHistoric Places Trust DetailsCollectionAll items
Wellington Town Hall . Recollect Sandpit, accessed 19/02/2025, https://recollectsandpit.com/nodes/view/914