Auckland Heritage Festival: The St James Theatre

Join George Farrant for this HeritageTalk for Auckland's Heritage Festival and hear all about "Auckland's Greatest Theatre" - the St James - from its glorious past to its less illustrious present.

Opened in 1928 and proclaimed "Auckland's Greatest Theatre", the St James Theatre has had an interesting past with vaudeville shows, musicals, comedy, theatre, dance, royal command performances, and movies. Its future is a bit more checkered since its closure in 2007 following a fire in an adjacent cinema, an electrical fire in 2015, and the recent withdrawal of finance for the planned adjacent multi-storey apartment block that would part-fund the already-started restoration of the theatre. Join George Farrant, former Auckland Council Principal Heritage Advisor to hear more about this building with its sad external look, but gorgeous well preserved Spanish-Renaissance style interior.

Booking not essential, but is recommended. To be sure of your place, please phone Research Central 09 890 2412 or book online: https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/pages/event.aspx?eventid=6818

About HeritageTalks
Are you interested in family and local history; the historical stories of New Zealand, the Pacific, and beyond? Then why not come along to one of our HeritageTalks - Waha pū-taonga and hear more about both our personal and our shared heritage? Experts in specialised fields deliver these talks and provide insight into our histories. HeritageTalks take place at least fortnightly, in the Whare Wānanga, Level 2, Central City Library unless otherwise stated. Booking is recommended although not essential.