St. James Theatre, Auckland
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Lorne Street side (rear) of the St James Theatre, prior to demolition of adjacent buildings
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| Address | 314 Queen Street Auckland New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 36°51′05″S 174°45′52″E / 36.851273°S 174.764408°E |
| Owner | Relianz Holdings |
| Current use | Theatre under restoration |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Closed | 2007 |
| Architect | Henry Eli White |
The St James Theatre is a heritage stage theatre and cinema located on Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1928, it was a replacement for the older Fuller's Opera House and was originally designed for vaudeville acts. Its architect Henry Eli White also designed many other famous theatres in Australia and New Zealand including the St James Theatre in Wellington and the State Theatre in Sydney.
The theatre has been closed since 2007 after a fire raised concerns about safety and compliance. Purchased by Relianz Holdings in 2014, it is being restored with an Auckland Council contribution of $15 million. Buildings on the adjacent sites were demolished by late-2016 to make way for a 39 level, 309 apartment project.
The theatre is classified as a "Category I" ("places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
The St James Theatre was commissioned by John Fuller and Sons Limited to replace Fuller's Opera House which burned down in 1926. The site on Queen Street opposite Civic Square was acquired for around £100,000; construction of the theatre was estimated to cost around £80,000. Construction was completed in 1928, and the theatre was originally targeted for the performance of vaudeville acts. Upon its completion, the eldest brother of the Fuller family, Sir Benjamin Fuller, pronounced St James to be "the theatre perfect". The theatre's grand opening was on 5 July 1928 with the London Musical Company performing Archie.
The St. James theatre was designed by architect Henry Eli White for its owners Sir Benjamin Fuller and his brother John Fuller. White was responsible for a number of theatres in Australia and New Zealand, including the St. James Theatre, Sydney. This was also built for the Fullers, who owned a significant theatre and retail businesses across the two countries.
At the time the St. James was designed, live performance was dominated by vaudeville: musical and comic entertainment. The St. James was quickly adapted to the newly popular ‘talking pictures’ however, with the addition of a film projector 18 months after opening. The St. James has accommodated live performance and/or film during different periods of its lifetime.
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