The St James Theatre with George Farrant.

Located between Queen Street and Lorne Street in Auckland, New Zealand, stands the heritage stage theatre and cinema, The St James Theatre, or what's left of it. In 1928, construction on the theatre began and was commissioned by John Fuller and Sons Limited to replace Fuller's Opera House, which burned down in 1926. It was acquired for around £100,000; construction of the theatre was estimated to cost around £80,000. In 1928, construction was completed, 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 "Auckland's Greatest Theatre."

St James Theatre today.

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.

St James Theatre in the 1930s.

While active, the theatre hosted many famous performers such as theatrical actors Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Ralph Richardson. In 1963, the Black and White Minstrel Show performed. In 1972, the successful West End musical play Charlie Girl performed at the St James with its original cast. In 1981, the Royal Command Performance was held at St James for the visiting Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Howard Morrison held a premier performance of his te reo Māori version of the song How Great Thou Art that launched his commercial success.

St James Theatre in the 1950s.

The St James has undergone several major modifications since its construction. A year after it was finished, cinema projectors were added due to the popularity of cinema. Cinema was to become a major part of the St James; its first film screening was Gold Diggers of Broadway, shown on Boxing Day 1929. In 1953, the building's facade and vestibule underwent renovation for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, who attended a cinema premiere screening in December of that year. As part of the renovations, the unique facade was hidden behind sheets of metal in an attempt to give the building a more modern look. However, its Spanish-Renaissance style interior is well preserved. The main auditorium has three tiers of seating plus boxes, elaborate lighting and ornate plasterwork decoration; items of heritage value include statuettes, the terrazzo flooring and the grand marble staircase. In 1957, the Odeon Cinema with 670 seats was added to the theatre complex. In 1966, further modifications were made to the Queen Street facade; in 1966 the Westend Cinema was added, the Regent Theatre was added in 1982.

The current state of the theatre.

Before & After of the theatre.

The site 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.

Construction office.

Before & After of the theatre from level 2.

The projection room.

Theatre storage room.

The main foyer.

In 2007, an electrical fire damaged the theatre and it has not been open to the public since then due to concerns about safety and compliance. Any new work to restore the building would require earthquake proofing according to Auckland City Council's building standards, adding to the cost of any future restoration of the theatre. In 2009, the Auckland City Council contributed a budget of $15 million. The owner of the St James and the developer behind the planned construction, Paul Doole, stated that the cost to restore and to reopen the theatre was estimated to be around $50 million. A 2010, proposal was for the St. James to be restored as part of a new Convention Centre. (Brian Rudman, ‘St James Theatre restoration would be sweet music to the ears of many’. New Zealand Herald, 9 August 2010, pA7). In 2014, the theatre was purchased by Relianz Holdings who confirmed plans to restore it and build the St James Suites apartments on the adjacent site by as early as 2018, by late-2016 buildings on the adjacent sites were demolished to make way for the St James Suites, a 39-level, 309-apartment project. But, by July 2019, repairs were at a standstill after a bank withdrew $90 million worth of funding for the apartment complex. The theatre was to have made use of access routes and public conveniences in the complex, and restoration work cannot proceed until these issues are addressed. The project is now looking to offshore partners due to the lack of New Zealand financiers.

George Farrant.

The restoration is led by George Farrant, Principal Heritage Adviser for the Auckland Council. Today, I, and a large group of people, joined him to hear more about this building with its sad external look, but gorgeous well preserved Spanish-Renaissance style interior. Mr. Farrant is also responsible for the restoration of the Civic Theatre and the Auckland Town Hall. In addition, the same team behind the Civic Theatre and the Auckland Town Hall are also behind the restoration on St James Theatre. But for Mr Farrant, the St James Theatre has proved to be the most complex project he has helmed to date due to the nature of the restoration. 

Plans for the newly restored St James Theatre & its apartment complex.

This is mainly due to the planned apartment complex centred in the middle of the site. However, it is unknown whether an apartment complex or two hotels will be situated there due to the indecisiveness of the offshore financiers. Farrant and his team are also focused on rebuilding the tower that once stood in front of the theatre, but had since been bastardised since the 1950s. Ironically, one of the main people in charge of the reconstruction is Eli White's grandson, and his father is the man responsible for the bastardisation of the tower.  Since the standstill, the project has received criticism for this and has become the number one priority in the restoration. Adding further complications to the reconstruction of the tower alone is due to the fact that it is connected to the demolished main entrance and lobby of the theatre, as well as the fact that it did house five flights of stairs. Furthermore, the foundations of the theatre also prove a challenge as it seem to be embedded in solid clay that lay underneath the structure since the formation of the area, as well as the inadequate reenforced concrete and corroded steel with the beams and columns. Finally, minor tasks such as painting the interior back to his original colours and the preservation of the murals also occupy Farrant's mind. However, all of these can not forward until proper financing is secured without the aid of New Zealand or Australian banks, who are unable, or unwilling, to provide. Until then, the future of the theatre and the project remains unknown.

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 their 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.