Pioneering $30 Million Theater and Heritage Development in Timaru

The nearly $30 million redevelopment of Timaru’s Theater Royal and the creation of a new Heritage Hub is officially underway.

The theater closed in November 2019 to prepare for the upgrades, and site preparation has been underway since then, with the buildings behind and adjacent to the site demolished and the theater stripped of seats and other equipment.

On Friday, Timaru’s district council confirmed that it had finally found its way to the project – which is now expected to be completed in 2024.

“After several years of careful planning, scoping, collaboration, public consultation, tendering and contract award, the good news is that 122-132 Stafford Street is now officially a construction site.”

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The council confirmed that construction preparation is now underway and that further demolition work will follow to prepare the construction of the new centre.

The council hopes the development will help to further stimulate the redevelopment of the south side of Timaru’s CBD.

Project manager Nicole Timney said he hoped the development would “put Timaru back on the map in terms of culture and heritage”.

“With construction underway, we can now look forward to 2024 when we can welcome our community back through our doors to experience this amazing new center.

“The new building will become a home for culture and heritage for the entire region, providing the kinds of stories that will entertain and educate people for generations to come,” said Timney.

She said the heritage and exhibition space provide an opportunity for something new.

“The new areas of the building will provide a blank canvas with state-of-the-art facilities for great temporary exhibitions and allow existing collections to be showcased in a whole new way.”

In April, a development progress report gave a total budget of $29.3 million, a figure that the council said was still correct as of Friday. The project has received $11.6 million from the government’s ‘Shovel Ready’ incentive fund.

In September 2021, the council met to reconsider the future of the project after concerns were raised about the suitability of the original draft plan approved for the project.

Those concerns included that the proposed design failed to take into account the needs of those who use the theater most often.

At the time councilors were asked to vote on one of three options, they voted unanimously to demolish and rebuild the rear of the Theater Royal, including the stage house and dressing rooms; restore and refurbish the heritage auditorium; and build a new museum and exhibition spaces, preserving only the facade of the former Criterion Hotel.

Opened on 16 July 1877, the Theater Royal has a Category 2 Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga classification, with little of the original structure, a stone shop remaining. The current auditorium, flying tower and changing rooms were added in 1911.

Philip Howe, director of the South Canterbury museum, said his team had provided feedback to designers to help optimize the building’s layout and plan new exhibitions for the spaces to be created.

“A key activity has been focused on planning new long-term exhibitions that will be of international standard and create a wow factor that will draw visitors to Timaru and bring locals back time and time again,” Howe said.

Museum staff worked with exhibit design company Workshop E to plan exhibits that would make full use of the region’s heritage collections, images and exhibit content, he said.

“This work is supported by the South Canterbury Museum Development Trust, which is raising money to help us go the extra mile to create something incredible in the new facility.”

The municipality is looking at the first designs for a large-scale projection wall, 3D model and touchscreen that have changed the landscape over time.

“High-impact exhibit features such as this one will be used in conjunction with rich displays of specimens and artifacts that tell the stories of our region’s unique natural and human heritage.”