Wellington Town Hall

Wellington Town Hall
Te Whare Whakarauika  (Māori)
The Town Hall from Civic Square
General information
Type	Town hall, concert hall
Architectural style	Neo-Renaissance
Location	Corner of Wakefield Street and Civic Square, Wellington
Coordinates	41°17′21″S 174°46′38″E / 41.2893°S 174.7773°E / -41.2893; 174.7773Coordinates: 41°17′21″S 174°46′38″E / 41.2893°S 174.7773°E / -41.2893; 174.7773
Current tenants	Wellington City Council
Construction started	1901
Completed	1904
Owner	Wellington City
Design and construction
Architect	Joshua Charlesworth
Main contractor	Paterson, Martin and Hunter
Heritage New Zealand – Category I
Designated	11 December 2003
Reference no.	3275

The Wellington Town Hall (Māori: Te Whare Whakarauika) is a concert hall and part of the municipal complex in Wellington, New Zealand, which opened in December 1904. It is currently closed in anticipation of earthquake strengthening.

The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1901 and construction began the following year. It was officially opened on 7 December 1904.

The Town Hall was originally fronted (on the Cuba Street side) with a Roman styled portico and a 150-foot clock tower. A clock was not installed in the tower until 1922, when John Blundell, owner of The Evening Post newspaper, donated one. In 1934 the tower was removed as a precaution following the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, and the main portico, pediment, balustrade, parapet and bold cornice were also removed. The building was earthquake strengthened in 1943 following an earthquake the previous year. During the strengthening the Corinthian capitals on the exterior were replaced with Tuscan detailing.

The Town Hall may have been a low maintenance priority of councils over the years. By 1973 during a concert (Kenny Rogers and the First Edition) their sound levels caused dust to begin to drift down over the stage. When their music hit a crescendo during the chorus of one piece (may have been Something's Burning), the stage ceiling collapsed on them, dropping pigeon bodies, empty and dead eggs, nesting material and plaster rubble and dust all over the stage and the band's equipment. The concert did continue, with black-dressed stage hands creeping around the stage sweeping up detritus, removing carcasses, and dusting the amplifiers, speaker cases, keyboards, and anything else covered with plaster dust. Shortly after, Wellington citizens began to call for an improved concert venue.