New Building For Operatic Society

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30413, 11 April 1964, Page 1

New Building For Operatic Society

Work will begin next week on the construction of a £14,536 building for the Christchurch Operatic Society on the corner of Angus and Colombo streets in Sydenham. The building, of 5144 square feet, will contain a scenery dock, rehearsal room, wardrobe room, committee room, lavoratories and kitchens. Messrs Paul Pascoe and Linton are the architects, and Stock and Hardie the structural engineers. The building contractor is Mr C. A. Waters. The building will be of reinforced concrete with a brick facade. It will have concrete

block walls, steel roof frames and a corrugated iron roof. Stage Effect The scenery dock, with an internal height of 22ft, will face Colombo street. The front of the building is set back 12ft A portico, of prestressed concrete, facing Colombo street, is suggestive of a stage effect in operatic work, and is intended to be symbolic of the society. The rehearsal rooms, kitchens and conveniences would be available for letting, the secretary of the society (Mr N. E. Swanston) said yesterday. A portion of the site, at the rear of the building, will be available for future extensions. In the meantime, it will be available for parking to users of the building. Mr Swanston said that the

society had bought the land about two years ago. The society had had a splendid rehearsal room in a building at 174 Manchester street, above the Health Department X-ray rooms. The building was declared unsafe and the society could no longer use the rehearsal room. Rented Premises “Since then, we have been using rented premises. For instance, we used seven premises in a week in preparing for The Music Man.’ We rehearsed in four different halls, and used three other premises for a wardrobe room, for our scenery and props,” Mr Swanston said. He said that the society's accumulated funds over the last 25 years had enabled it to purchase the site and get the new building under way.

“We are considering making an application to the lottery fund board for a grant toward the new building. Failing that, we will have to mortgage it. During the 25 years, hundreds of young artists have been able to obtain stage experience through the society and scores of thousands of persons have been able to attend operatic performances.” The Christchurch Operatic Society fervently hoped that the town hall scheme in Victoria street would include a concert chamber in which it would be possible to stage a major opera, Mr Swanston said. The society’s views in this matter were included in submissions made by thr Christchurch Civic Music Council to the City Council