| Crystal Palace Theatre | |
|---|---|
 Crystal Palace Theatre exterior | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Mount Eden |
| Address | 535–537 Mt Eden Road |
| Town or city | Auckland |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°53′08″S174°45′39″E / 36.8856°S 174.7609°E |
| Completed | 1928 |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Designated | 11 November 1981 |
| Reference no. | 512 |
The Crystal Palace Theatre is an early 20th century theatre located in Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand listed as a Category II building by Heritage New Zealand. [1]
The Crystal Palace Threatre was built in 1928 by contractor N. Cole for the Hippodrome Theatre Company. In 1929 it opened its doors to the public with a ceremony conducted by the Mayor of Eden Borough. It originally had a cabaret downstairs and a theatre upstairs. It would later screen silent films and by August 1929 it had started to show films with sound using speakers imported from America. [2] [1] The first movie screening caused the local power station to short circuit. [3]
The cabaret downstairs would turn into a dance-hall. In 1953 a man collapsed and died whilst dancing. [3]
Ever since the 1950s the Crystal Palace Theatre has served as a music venue due to the efforts of Phil Warren. [3]
During the 1960s Warren applied for a liquor licence as he had hoped to turn the venue into a cabaret and bar. The licence was later declined due to complaints from local residents. This combined with the advent of television and changing social climate resulted in the theatre not being profitable. It would later be sold in 1977 to Raman Chhiba, he had proposed the theatre served as the new venue for the Auckland Indian Association; however, the association decided on another venue and Chhiba decided to purchase the property himself. [3]
Chhiba would run the venue as a cinema and would screen Bollywood films alongside mainstream films. Word of mouth spread about the venue and it started hosting special film events to attract cinephiles. One of the more popular events would be an interactive screening of The Room, where people would dress up as characters from the film, yell, and throw plastic spoons. [3]
In 1998 the downstairs area would end up being known as The Lab, a recording studio and area for aspiring local musicians. It has served as a studio for New Zealand musicians throughout the years, including Alistair Deverick. Other notable musicians who have used the studio include Andrew Keoghan, Matt Harvey, Paul Matthews, Elemeno P, and Deja Voodoo. In addition to the recording studio the Crystal Palace has hosted Liam Finn, Lawrence Arabia, Mick Fleetwood and Connan Mockasin. [3]
In 2016 Taylor MacGregor (nephew of Phil Warren) and Karl Sheridan took over the operation of the theatre. [3]
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