Winter Show Building

Last updated
Winter Show Building
Alternative names Te Whaea
General information
Typeindustrial
AddressJohn Street
Town or city Wellington
CountryNew Zealand
Current tenants Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School and New Zealand School of Dance
Year(s) built1928
Owner Wellington City Council
Design and construction
Architect(s)Watson, Gooder and Lee

The Winter Show Building in John Street, Wellington was built in 1928 by the Wellington Show Association as a permanent home for the Winter Show, an annual trade fair promoting agriculture, trade and industrial innovations. In 1998 it became the home of Te Whaea, a national performing arts centre.

Contents

Background

Winter shows promoting farming and agriculture were held in Dunedin, Christchurch and other locations during the late nineteenth century, [1] [2] but an attempt in 1899 to hold a winter show in Wellington came to nothing. [3] [4] In April 1923 a meeting of businesspeople discussed the fact that other cities had special events to bring people into town, and the idea of a large show or carnival for Wellington was revisited. [5] It was decided to hold carnival weeks in July and in the summer, with the slogan 'Wellington Welcome Week'. [6] [7] After a carnival in the summer of 1923–24, the Wellington Show Association was established early in 1924. [8] The association held its first winter show in July 1924, [8] opened with speeches by the governor-general and prime minister. [9] The show was held in four Wellington Harbour Board sheds covering 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) of space and featured produce displays, livestock, working exhibits of farm equipment, a motor show of cars, trucks and tractors, and industrial exhibits. [10] The promoters of the 1924 show raised the idea of a purpose-built industrial hall for hosting the show, [9] but for the next three years, Harbour Board buildings were used. [11]

In 1926 architects Watson, Gooder and Lee drew up tentative plans for a permanent winter show building on a large site in Newtown bounded by Hutchinson Road, Hall Street and John Street. [12] The plans included a large exhibition building, sports ground, and a football field with a banked cycle race track around it. [13] Part of the proposed site was on Town Belt land, so the Wellington Show Association applied to Wellington City Council for a lease of 42 years on that land. [14] Wellington Education Board objected to the proposed lease, saying it had had plans in place for three years to use the Town Belt land for a level playground for a new school. [15] Agreement was reached between the Education Board and the Show Association, and after further negotiations with Wellington City Council the project was able to go ahead. [16] [17]

The Winter Show Building

Aerial view of Winter Show Building in 1947. Winter Show Building, 1947 (cropped).jpg
Aerial view of Winter Show Building in 1947.

Part of the site which had been used as a rubbish dump (nicknamed 'Jam Tin Gully') was cleaned up, other areas were levelled, and a road through the site was relocated. [18] Funding for the project came from investment by members of the Wellington Show Association, profits from previous shows, and debentures sold to the public. [18] Future income was expected to come from not just from winter shows, but from sports meetings and other events to be held in the new building and grounds. [18]

The £40,000 contract to construct the new building was granted to August Swanson, and work began early in 1928. [19] The building was constructed from timber, corrugated iron, and asbestos sheets, with concrete arches supporting the roof. [18] Piles for the building had to be driven to an average depth of 40 ft, through years-worth of rubbish dumped in the gully. [7] It had been hoped to open the building in time for the 1928 winter show, but on 29 June 1928 a 20-ton reinforced concrete arch section of the partially-constructed building was knocked over by high winds, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. [20] The Winter Show Building was officially opened on 19 September 1928. [7] The show building was 300 ft by 400 ft and had five acres of floor space. [18] [21] There was one main floor, basically a shell with roofing covering a vast open area, and two big basements to be used as storage for fittings and as a livestock exhibition area. [18] The main floor consisted of five large halls. Each hall's roof was supported by large concrete spans needing no central supports, to allow a large unbroken floor area for exhibitions or sports. There was a mezzanine floor above the halls, intended for a tea room and dancing, with a promenade giving elevated views of the four halls. [22] [21] An ornate concrete façade with turrets and a dome had been designed for the building's frontage to John Street, but this was never built. [7] [21] [23]

On 19 June 1956 a fire broke out in the office area of the building and part of the roof fell in, injuring two firemen. [24]

Apart from its use for the Winter Show, the building was used for many activities over the years including sports training, a miniature rifle club shooting range, [25] a circus, [26] roller skating, [27] and music concerts. [28] During World War 2 the Winter Show Building was used as a base for military training. [29] For many years the Winter Show also featured an outdoor area with fairground rides and sideshows. [30]

Sesqui 1990

In February 1990 a trade fair was held to celebrate New Zealand's sesquicentennial, 150 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and arrival of the first European settlers to Wellington. Sesqui 1990 was a joint venture between the Wellington Show Association and Wellington City Council, and was underwritten by the City Council and Wellington Regional Council. [31] The fair was held in two venues: one was on the waterfront and the other was at the Winter Show Building. A shuttle bus carried visitors between the two locations. The Winter Show Building was painted bright yellow for the event, with 4000 litres of paint donated by Dulux. [31] [32] The fair was a financial disaster, with many exhibitors pulling out before it opened and visitor numbers way below expectations. [31] Although it was supposed to run for six weeks, Sesqui closed after only two weeks.

Decline

Visitor numbers at the Winter Show began declining in the 1980s. In 1990, the organiser of the Winter Show blamed the drop in visitor numbers on the introduction of Lotto in 1987, which he said had reduced people's disposable income. [30] He also believed that Wellington's failed Sesqui festival earlier that year had turned the public off trade fairs. In 1993 the Wellington Show Association's marketing manager noted that visitor numbers had almost halved since the late 1980s, and said that “a lot of the businesses that used to utilise shows and exhibitions now have their own warehouses. They just do not need this type of thing”. [33] The association was also heavily in debt after the Sesqui festival. [34] The Wellington Show Association held its last Winter Show in 1994, [35] [36] [37] but the site was still used for festivals and funfairs during the next two years. [38] [39] In June 1996 Wellington City Council took over ownership of the building in exchange for the $1.99 million debt owed to it by the Wellington Show Association. [40] The Wellington Show Association was liquidated in 1999. [41]

Transformation to performing arts centre

In 1997 Wellington City Council leased the deteriorating Winter Show Building to the national drama school Toi Whakaari and the New Zealand School of Dance, which had both been looking for new space. [34] The council also guaranteed a loan of $1 million to the dance and drama schools to renovate the building. [42] The two schools came together at the renovated Winter Show Building as a national performing arts centre, named Te Whaea, which opened in 1998. Refurbishment of the building included nine large and four small studios, a 200-seat theatre, a library, and areas for set construction, sound, lighting and costume. [43]

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References

  1. ↑ "Around Dunedin". Wairarapa Daily Times. 16 June 1896. Retrieved 13 May 2023– via Papers Past. The Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Winter Show was also opened the same afternoon in the Garrison Hall, and has been a phenomenal success, over 4,000 attending the first day. The town is literally swarming with visitors, and the hearts of our storekeepers are full of joy to see their country cousins.
  2. ↑ "The Canterbury Winter Show". New Zealand Mail. 3 June 1897. Retrieved 13 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  3. ↑ "A winter show". Evening Post. 16 September 1899. Retrieved 16 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  4. ↑ "Skimmings". New Zealand Mail. 15 February 1900. Retrieved 16 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  5. ↑ "Plans for boosting: Wellington behind the times". Evening Post. 10 April 1923. Retrieved 16 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  6. ↑ "A big programme to boost Wellington". Evening Post. 24 April 1923. Retrieved 16 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "A dream fulfilled". Dominion. 20 September 1928. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  8. 1 2 "Winter Show to be held in July". Dominion. 20 March 1924. Retrieved 16 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  9. 1 2 "Success achieved". New Zealand Times. 7 July 1924. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  10. ↑ "Wellington Winter Show". Evening Post. 14 June 1924. Retrieved 16 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  11. ↑ "Wellington winter show". New Zealand Times. 31 July 1925. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  12. ↑ "Winter show building". Evening Post. 22 April 1926. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  13. ↑ "[Plan showing proposed layout of site]". Evening Post. 2 December 1926. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  14. ↑ "For the Winter Show: lease of Town Belt area". Evening Post. 3 December 1926. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  15. ↑ "Alleged "steal" from the Education Board". Dominion. 4 December 1926. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  16. ↑ "Show building site: Board and Association confer". Dominion. 7 December 1926. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  17. ↑ "Winter Show building and grounds". Dominion. 24 June 1927. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Moving along". Evening Post. 26 March 1928. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  19. ↑ "Winter show: erection of buildings in Wellington". Wairarapa Age. 23 February 1928. Retrieved 17 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  20. ↑ "Arch collapses". Evening Post. 30 June 1928. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  21. 1 2 3 "Wellington Winter Show". Wairarapa Age. 14 July 1927. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  22. ↑ "New Winter Show building". Dominion. 21 July 1928. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  23. ↑ "Sketch design of suggested building for the Winter Show Association". New Zealand Times. 16 July 1926. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  24. ↑ "Firemen injured". Press. 20 June 1956. Retrieved 19 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  25. ↑ "Miniature rifle shooting". Dominion. 2 May 1929. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  26. ↑ "[advertisement]". Evening Post. 30 March 1939. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  27. ↑ "Royal roller rink". Evening Post. 3 August 1931. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  28. ↑ "[Split Enz advertisement]". Rip It Up. 1 October 1984. Retrieved 18 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  29. ↑ "Home defence". Evening Post. 2 July 1940. Retrieved 19 May 2023– via Papers Past.
  30. 1 2 O'Neil, Andrea (2015-07-02). "150 Years of News: Wellington's winter show a wonderland in Newtown". Stuff. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  31. 1 2 3 McGill, David (2003). Wellington: A capital century. Wellington, New Zealand: Transpress. pp. 284–286. ISBN   090887619X.
  32. ↑ "Winter Show Buildings, Newtown". Wellington City Libraries. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  33. ↑ "Show goes it alone". City Voice. 13 May 1993. p. 3. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  34. 1 2 Chumko, André (2023-03-02). "How a dilapidated Wellington building transformed into a national performing arts centre". Stuff. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  35. ↑ "Show in doubt". City Voice. 27 April 1995. p. 2. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  36. ↑ "[untitled]". City Voice. 12 May 1994. p. 1. Retrieved 18 May 2023. Wellington's winter show (renamed A Capital Show) is back in town. The same rides, same side shows and the usual eclectic range of indoor exhibits.
  37. ↑ "Winter growth". City Voice. 5 May 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  38. ↑ "City Voice, 18th April 1996". Wellington City Libraries. Retrieved 2023-05-18. Get Up & Go Show: NZ's biggest line up of thrill rides, Winter Show Bdgs, John St, Newtown, 10am-8pm. Entry $5, under 13 free. BJ Bear & magic from 10am, Los Flamencos dancing from 7pm, Irish music.
  39. ↑ "A chance for jobs". City Voice. 4 August 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  40. ↑ Walsh, Rebecca (7 February 1997). "Council asked to back $1m arts schools' loan". Evening Post. ProQuest   314468134.
  41. ↑ "Wellington Show Association Incorporated (in liquidation) Notice of Appointment of... - 1999-al4679 - New Zealand Gazette". www.gazette.govt.nz.
  42. ↑ Walsh, Rebecca (21 February 1997). "Council agrees to guarantee $1m arts loan". Evening Post. ProQuest   314487454.
  43. ↑ Houlahan, Mike (27 April 1998). "Artists will be flying high in purpose-built facility". Evening Post. ProQuest   314525789.
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