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GRAND OPERA HOUSE.

A PRIVATE VIEW,

At the invitation of-the directors, the shareholders of "the"/ Wellington Opera House .Company, ; Ltd., with their, friends.! : vii)ited-tho-Grand Opera House last night. Tho guests, of whom thero were ,-upwa,rds of 200,. were invited to inspect tho building,, and'afterwards they partook of light refreshments. It waa an • excellent opportunity of rambling over,the big theatre, trying the seats and the sight lines from all parts, >nd the universal opinion of everybody present was that the building had been admirably'designed, and that the internal decorations were in good taste.. , ■

Mr. W.. H. , ■ P;,. Barber,, chairman of directors, welcomed the shareholders and their friends, and proceeded to tell them the good points of the new building.. It was claimed, he said, that it was the.finest theatre in the Southern Hemisphere. The seating accommodation Tvas 2141 ,"* as against 1400 for t'he old 'Opera House. It had cost Borne £32,800 to build, and the total cost of building and ground and extras had been in excess of £60,000, more than doublo tho original, cost of the old .building. Ho drew special attention to tho excellent ventilation, and the sliding roof, enabling a dome '/in. the middle of the auditorium to bo opened in hot weather, to the commodious entrance, and to tho almost total absence of risk from fire. Mr. Barber indulged in some reminiscences also, and to show tlio wonderful progress of the city of Wellington,- ho told" how the sito on which the Grand Opera' House stood had beefi.parb of a'piecb of land ivhere a Maori pa had boon only fifty years ;ago. ,• ' .

Mr. J. P. Luke, Mayor of Wellington, congratulated the company on their enterprise, and said they deserved the thanks of the citizens of Wellington for providing for them ; a theatro'which was second to none South of tho Line.

Sir Joseph Ward 'also congratulated tho- company, and expressed the hope that the Williamson Management would now bring even tetter organisations to Wellington than over before. He-wish-ed the company every possiblo success.

The Hon. W. Pitt, the architect, who designed tho building, Mr,. Bert. Rovle, representative of the lessees (J. C. Williamson, Ltd.), and Mr. Saunders, of the firm of Saundors: Brothers, the contractors who erected tho theatre, also offered good wishes and congratulations.

At the call of the Mayor, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded by acclamation to tko-directors. ■.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19140313.2.73

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2006, 13 March 1914, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
394

GRAND OPERA HOUSE. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2006, 13 March 1914, Page 8

GRAND OPERA HOUSE. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2006, 13 March 1914, Page 8

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