Changing faces of the Hamilton Hotel from 1865

Since its beginnings in 1865, the Hamilton Hotel became a centre for social life within the settler community. One enterprising owner couple in the 1870s also developed a garden, croquet lawn and a cottage at the rear by the Waikato River for honeymooners! The two-storey timber building burnt down twice during devastating fires in 1892 and 1922, with the latter taking three lives, including artist Sapper Horace Moore-Jones. In 1923, the hotel was rebuilt with concrete masonry in the neoclassical style and the building was listed as a Category 2 historic building in 1985. Guests have included Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1953, and the Queen Mother who stayed five years later.

The Hamilton Hotel ceased operating in 1980 and was developed as an arts and community centre which became commonly known as the Left Bank. When  the Founders Theatre closed in March 2016 for safety reasons, a new Waikato Regional Theatre was proposed and the site chosen was the Hamilton Hotel. In 2021, work began to transform the former hotel into the $80m Waikato Regional Theatre, with only the concrete facade facing Victoria Street being preserved. 

Backstory:

1864: Military settlers arrive in Hamilton

The first military settlers of the 4th Waikato Regiment arrived in Hamilton on 24 August 1864 with Captain William Steele. They disembarked from the gunboat Rangiriri which had previously been commandered by Captain William E. Turner.  The first camp was on the bank of the Waikato River, near the present bridge, now known as the Victoria Bridge on Anzac Parade. 

1865: THE HAMILTON HOTEL BUILT BY CAPTAIN TURNER

Under the company name Turner & Co, Captain William Turner built the Hamilton Hotel on the southern end of Victoria Street, above the settlement on the western bank of the Waikato River.  Located at present-day 170-186 Victoria Street, the hotel stood on what has since become the corner of Victoria Street and Marlborough Place which was renamed Sapper Moore-Jones Place on 30 November 2012.  

The Daily Southern Cross reported on 1 February 1865:

"We understand that a hotel, of fourteen or fifteen rooms, is to be built at Hamilton, the township of the 4th Waikato Regiment. This is another step in the right direction, the want of hotel accomodation being much felt by all Waikato tourists. The spirited projector of this establishment is Captain Turner, formerly of the colonial steamer 'Rangiriri,' so well and favourably known on the river. " 

 Three weeks later on 22 February 1865, the Daily Southern Cross gave an update:

"Already we have several nice buildings being erected, amongst which is a large and commodious hotel, built by Captain Turner (late of the c.s. 'Rangiriri'), who is also, I believe, about to build a large store. I think every inducement should be given to such men, so as to encourage them to speculate here."

Following forthcoming announcements in the Daily Southern Cross newspaper, the Hamilton Hotel was opened in March 1865. As well as a bar, it provided accommodation and also stabling for horses.     

Changes in Hamilton Hotel's Publican Licensee

A search of DigitalNZ and Papers Past shows changes in the name of the licensee for the Hamilton Hotel:

1865:  L. B. Harris: Advert for the Hamilton Hotel listed under L.B. Harris

1867:  John Ross: "Publicans Licenses" issued by the Provincial Treasurer, under Certificate from the Licensing Magistrates, 30th June 1867. included John Ross at the Hamilton Hotel.  

1867: Hamilton Hotel listed for sale

Feb 1868: New owner - Joseph Pennington

An article in the Daily Southern Cross (14 August 1868) reported:

"Several mobs of fat cattle have late passed through here en route for the Auckland market. Their condition speaks favourably as to the grazing capabilities of the Waikato. Mr. J. Pennington, the spirited proprietor of the Hamilton Hotel, has fenced in several acres in the township, for the accommodation of parties driving stock. "

Nov 1870: New owner -  Thomas Farrell

April 1872: New owner - James Harper 

1874: New Owner & Name - Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel

In 1874, the Hamilton Hotel was purchased by Richard and Sarah Gwynne who renamed it 'Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel' and changed the exterior signage. 

New owners: Richard & Sarah Gwynne

Richard Gwynne (1827-1883) had arrived in Auckland in 1859 after emigrating from County Down in Northern Ireland in 1849. He had initially travelled to North America and South America, and then lived in Australia. Richard revisited Australia during 1862 and returned to Auckland, where he later married widow Sarah Newell in 1867.  

Lyn Williams Sarah Gwynne (1831-1906) had also been born in Belfast in 1831. She had married Richard's cousin Ben Newell in Sydney in 1855, and they moved to Auckland where they had three children. They owned a heavy horse stud and had built and run the Auckland Hotel on Queen Street during the late 1850s until it burnt down. They then ran the Junction Hotel in Newmarket and Richard Gwynne became a partner in the hotel and in the horse stud. After Ben passed away on 22 February 1865 aged 45 years, Sarah and Richard married two years later on 15 July 1867. They had kept running the Junction Hotel until 1874 when they moved to Hamilton as the new owners of the Hamilton Hotel.  

Source: The New Zealander, 24 Feb 1985.

Alterations made to the hotel, stables & garden during 1874 - 1877

The Waikato Times (5 Dec 1874) described the following improvements:

"We see by advertisement that the Hamilton Hotel is to receive alterations and improvements. It is we believe intended to extend the building in the direction of the Hamilton Hall. The addition will comprise 12 bedrooms on the first floor, underneath which there is to be a large dining room, a commercial room for travellers, and several sitting rooms. Along the front fence of the present building a balcony will be built, which will very greatly improve the appearance of the hotel, as well as prove a great convenience to those frequenting the house. An extensive range of stabling will occupy the whole length of the back yard, and every convenience for travellers. Horses will be provided. The whole house will undergo a thorough overhauling, and when all is completed will be equal to any in the province. We visited the billiard room attached to the hotel lately, and found that the table had been recovered, and provided with new sets of billiard, pool, and pyramid balls."  

Source: Waikato Times, "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." Vol VII, Issue 400, 5 Dec 1874,  p.2

Gwynne family

Sarah and Richard Gwynne had three children - Robert John (1868-1921), William David (1869-1875), and Richard Moore (1871-1875) (See BDM Online). The two youngest children became unwell with diphtheria and passed away within twelve days of each other the year after they moved to Hamilton. Their eldest son later became the editor of the Waikato Times and passed away in 1921.

Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel became renowned

The Observer (1907) retrospectively commented about Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel - it's gardens and hospitality:

"Under the Gwynne management the house became renowned as the centre of Hamilton life. Mr Gwynne was an enthusiastic gardener, and laid out and kept the grounds in admirable style, and Mrs Gwynne was an incomparable hostess. The "green-room" of the house was a recognised club-room for all Waikato, rich and poor, gentle and simple. A honeymoon cottage in the garden was the favourite retreat for the newly-wed of the district. Whenever there was a public function in Hamilton, the Gwynnes were in the thick of it, either as organisers, or providing the fare for which their house stood without peer."

Richard has been credited as planting the first trees near the riverbank. See satellite image and description on The New Zealand Tree Register: https://register.notabletrees.org.nz/tree/view/1027  

Sarah Gywnne a model landlady

The Observer (1907) described Sarah Gwynne as being "one of the model landladies of the province, and a woman of uncommon kindliness, geniality, and force of character".

"Over the bar trade Mrs Gwynne kept watch with a motherly eye, and any lodger or visitor who showed an inclination to over-indulgence found his supplies stopped before he had passed the safety-mark. As to closing time, all lodgers and callers had to conform to certain fixed rules. "Gentlemen, look at the clock," Mr Gwynne would say to those who lingered about the bar, and the "gentlemen" knew that all taps would from that moment cease to flow. Mrs Gwynne also had her regular formula for clearing the house. " All gentlemen who have beds to go to will go to them now," she would remark with an air of command ; "any who want them here can have them on such and such terms," and everyone who knew her knew that she had to be obeyed."

"On Sundays it was her custom to parade all the lodgers in the hotel to hear her friend Parson Calder — now Archdeacon of the diocese — at St. Peter's, where she had a special pew for the house, and few were those who withstood her persuasions. Her kindness to all those who came under her influence was a proverb in the Waikato and beyond it."

Hotel's garden used for concerts

On the evening of 12 December 1879, a promenade concert was held in the hotel's grounds. The Waikato Times (13 Dec 1879) gave this account:

"One of the most enjoyable concerts ever hold in Hamilton came off last night in the gardens of Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel, kindly lent by the public-spirited proprietor for that purpose. The grounds, than which there are none prettier in Hamilton, were lighted up with Chinese lanterns and blazing tar barrels, and the croquet ground was comfortably arranged with orchestra for the Band of the Hamilton Light Infantry Corps, and seats and forms for those who chose to rest themselves. The people of Hamilton may be congratulated on having so efficient a Band to perform on occasions of this land, for really without their valuable assistance the effect of the concert would have been much circumscribed. The Choral Society too added much to the general enjoyment. The choruses sounded excellently in the open air, and the solo kindly given by Mrs Mofflin was really a most enjoyable treat, and richly deserved the encore which greeted it. Nor must we forget the very excellently rendered piece on the pianoforte played by Miss Selima Wallnutt. From 8 o'clock to nearly 11 o'clock the amusement was kept up in the gardens till the lights were finally put out at midnight. A sum of about £14 was netted for the purchase of prizes for the West Hamilton school."

Gwynne's benevolence to the community

A retrospective article in the Waikato Times states:

"'The Gywnnes were both known for their involvement with St Peter's Anglican Church, especially with charity work.  Sarah Gwynne had a reputation for benevolence, examples being her donation of two alms dishes to St Stephen's at Tamahere, a bed, bed linen and bed linen to Waikato Hospital, a cash prize for a shooting competition and hosting a moonlight party in aid of the library." 

Sarah would not charge clergymen a fee for staying at the hotel, including one who resided in the cottage for three months. She was also involved with the Ladies' Benevolent Society.

Source: Lyn Williams, "The dead tell tales", Waikato Times, 7 Jan 2013

May 1883: Hotel managed by Sarah Gwynne

After her husband Richard died in May 1883, Sarah managed the hotel until 1897 when she sold it. Sarah moved to Auckland to live until her death on 25 December 1906. Richard, Sarah and their three sons are buried at the Hamilton West Cemetery. (See Hamilton City Council: Search our cemeteries)

Find out more:

Waikato Times, "The late Mr Richard Gwynne" (29 May 1883)

Observer, "Pars about people" (5 January 1907)

Praise was given to Mrs Gwynne as a hostess following a cricket match held on New Year's Day 1892 between Waikato and Auckland, where the teams spent the evening at the Hamilton Hotel (Auckland Star, 4 Jan 1892):

"...[T]he whole was topped off with a smoke concert at Mrs Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel in the evening, when an enjoyable evening was spent and the enthusiasm and genuine good-heartedness with which the toast of the hostess was proposed by Mr Ohlsen, and done justice to by the visitors and local people, must have been flattering to Mrs Gvvynne, who undoubtedly did a great deal to make the trip a pleasant and comfortable one for our visitors." 

June 1897: New owners - William & Agnes Bright

Following Sarah Gwynne’s retirement, the hotel was taken over by William Bright and his wife Agnes, formerly proprietors of the Queen’s Hotel in Thames. 

"Mr. Bright, the proprietor, is a native of Belfast, Ireland, and was educated and brought up there to the linen business. He came to the Colony in 1882, and for five years was in the drapery business in Auckland. In 1887 he joined his father in the Commercial Hotel at Hamilton, and remained with him until he took over the hotel at Northern Wairoa. Mr. Bright is well known at the Thames, where he kept the Queen's Hotel for two years. He took over the Hamilton Hotel in 1897. Mr. Bright has always been ready to give his support and assistance in connection with sporting matters, and takes an active interest in all local affairs. " 

Source: NZETC: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District] (1902): Hamilton, pp. 749 

According to BDM Online - John William Hannay Bright (1868-1925) had married Agnes Bessie McDonald (1879-1944) in 1893. They had three children - Arthur Grahame (1895), Annie Catherine (1897), and Annie Gertrude (1901).

July 1898: Hamilton Hotel destroyed by fire

The Brights had owned the hotel for less than a year when fire broke out on 16 July 1898, in a shop across the street. The flames spread on both sides of Victoria Street and fifteen buildings were destroyed, including the Hamilton Hotel, the stables and honeymoon cottage.

"A great fire occurred at Hamilton on Saturday night. It originated in Scott's fancy goods shop. Fifteen places were destroyed - Scotts, Horne, Harker (jeweller), Goring, Davy Taylor (tinsmith), Sutton (livery stables), Mrs Muir, Miss Redman, Young, Coyle (carpenter), McMahan (bootmaker), Bright's Hamilton Hotel, Molntyre (tobacconist). The Hamilton Times building was saved with difficulty. It is the most disastrous fire that has yet occurred in Hamilton. No appliances were available to suppress the fire. The total estimated loss is £12,000."    

Source: Inangahua Times, 'The Hamilton fire' (17 July 1899)       

According to a report in the Waikato Argus, after the fire crossed the street.  

“...[A]ll attention was directed to the old Hamilton Hotel, where, notwithstanding the plentiful supply of water and the excellent use made of it by willing hands, the flames suddenly burst forth through the centre of the roof. After about an hour the hotel fell in, and though there is no doubt the old house had had its day, pangs of regret would still arise in the breasts of those who have rested within its old fashioned walls, and accepted the hospitality which ever awaited them there. The last to go was ‘The Cottage,’ that delightful little retreat in the centre of the garden, where so many young couples have spent the early days of their wedded life.”

Source: Papers Past: Waikato Argus, "Disastrous fire at Hamilton", (Vol. V, Issue 316, 19 July 1898, p.2)

Temporary premises were erected the next morning:

"The work of rebuilding was commenced at an early hour yesterday morning ; in fact, one energetic tradesman had new timber on the ground ready for a start at 10 a.m. on Sunday. During yesterday carpenters were busy erecting temporary premises for Mr Bright on the vacant allotment alongside the site of the Hamilton Hotel, and he will be ready to attend to his customers at the new structure this morning." (Source: Ibid)

Rebuilding the Hamilton Hotel

1899: Hamilton Hotel reopened by L.D. Nathan Co.

The new Hamilton Hotel was opened on 4 March 1899 under the ownership of brewer L.D. Nathan Co. and with William Bright as the proprietor. It was designed by John Currie (c.1859-1921) who was an Irish-born Auckland architect. The timber building had two storeys on brick foundations with a verandah and balconies as fire escapes under windows. It had a frontage of 81 feet, and extended back in two wings a distance of 68 feet. The contract price was £3,600 and the builders were Messrs J. Jones and Son and the foreman was Mr A. Murphy. 

A comprehensive description of the hotel's facilities - bedrooms, sitting-rooms, bar, dining rooms, billiards room and stables - and modern conveniences is also given in the Waikato Argus, The Hamilton Hotel, (Vol VI, Issue 401, 4 March 1899, p.2) In Papers Past. 

 A follow-up article in the Waikato Argus, (7 March 1899, p.2) stated, "The new Hamilton Hotel was opened on Saturday evening last. It was brilliantly lighted, looked exceedingly well and had the effect of brightening up that portion of the street considerably".  

1903: Council approved plans for alterations 

1922: Hamilton Hotel destroyed in a fire

An early morning fire on Monday 3 April 1922, destroyed the Hamilton Hotel. The building's owner was still L. D. Nathan and the proprietor / licensee had changed to become former All Black R. J 'Jock' McKenzie. 

There were twenty-five guests plus staff sleeping on the hotel premises on the Sunday night. Early on the Monday morning around 4am, fire broke out in the kitchen and “spread with lightening rapidity” throughout the two-storey wooden structure. Newspapers reported the building “reduced to cinders” within the hour, but the cottage at rear, where McKenzie and his family lived, was saved.  Three people died - two hotel guests and a maid.

Fire spotted and evacuation begins

The night porter, James Masterson, who spotted the fire, alerted people asleep in their rooms.  

"While returning from a back portion, upstairs, shortly before 4 o'clock, the night porter at the hotel, Mr J. Masterson, had his attention attracted by a lurid glare from the vicinity of the kitchen and dining room portion of the hotel. He rushed downstairs to that part of the building, and on opening a door was met with a wall of flame. He made for the telephone to apprise the brigade, but did not wait to answer as he recognised the urgency of waking the inmates. As the building contained over thirty rooms it naturally would take some time to traverse. In addition to the staff there were twenty-five boarders five of whom were ladies. The porter visited, all the rooms, rousing the inmates and giving the alarm."

Source: Hawera & Normandy Star, 'Hamilton fire' (5 April 1922)

Balcony and fire escape ladder used

One of the guests, soldier artist Horace Moore-Jones also assisted with the evacuation:   

"From the evidence that can be gathered Mr. Moore Jones played a heroic part in the rescue work, and was particularly solicitous, at the very peril of his life, for the welfare of the inmates. With the flames leaping along the passages he was seen to go back into the building and rouse the women in-mates, instructing them as to exit on to the balcony. Eventually he was himself cut off, and must have had to fight his way through the flames to eventually get out at the northern end of the burning building, from where he was aided down by the firemen. The overcoat Mr. Moore Jones was wearing was practically , burnt off, his pyjamas were scorched, his hair singed, and various parts of his body were burnt. It was a difficult job to secure a conveyance to take the sufferer to the hospital, and the enforced exposure after his perilous experience was regrettable." 

When the evacuees reached the balcony, another guest Mr. Ross "directed the women and those on the balcony above not to jump over, but to use the escape ladder" to reach the ground. Most were wearing their night attire and some managed to grab some of their possessions.  

Source: Ibid

Fire brigade arrives

"The brigade, shortly before four o' clock, received three practically simultaneous intimations that the hotel was ablaze.  By this time the flames must have had a good hold."  On receiving the alarm "the  fire brigade arrived promptly... and although a strong and consistent stream of water was played on the flames, their progress could not be permanently stayed. The flames spread with lightning-like rapidity, and the whole premises, with the exception of a small portion at the northern end, two storerooms and portion of the staff's living quarters and laundry, were reduced to cinders within the space of an hour."

"Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon the herculean efforts of the firemen to get the outbreak quelled as quickly as possible and to prevent the spread to adjacent buildings, which they were successful in achieving. There is a cottage situated at the rear of the hotel, in which the proprietor and his family lived. This caught alight at one stage, but the outbreak was observed and quickly subdued." 

Source: Ibid

What caused the loud explosion

"When the fire was at its height it was an awe-inspiring sight. Shortly after 4 o 'clock there was a loud explosion, which shook many buildings in the vicinity. It was apparently caused by the bursting of the hot water system, as heavy pieces of iron piping were thrown a considerable distance away, one of which fell through the" roof of an office across Victoria street. The sparks from the burning building were carried a considerable distance, and a wooden tank cover at the rear of the Savoy dining rooms, adjoining the Times office, was set on fire. The burning debris was thrown to the ground without the aid of the fire brigade being sought. In other places, too, the visitation by sparks were noted." 

Source: Ibid

Three people lost their lives

Following an inquest held on 4-5 April 1922, two people were identified whose bodies were found inside the hotel: 

  •  T. D 'Rory' O'Moore, a travelling salesman for Chemicals Ltd.

  •  Nellie Wood who was a maid at the hotel for just a month. An article about Nellie Wood has subsequently appeared in the       Waikato Times written by Lyn Williams, "The dead tell tales (10 December 2012). Nellie was married (Natalie Partridge) but       had used her maiden name to gain employment as married women were not as welcomed as staff.

A third person who had been taken to hospital died there: Horace Moore-Jones who was well known as an artist since the Gallipoli campaign particularly for his work 'Simpson and his donkey'. 

Moore-Jones' gallantry recognised during Hamilton Hotel fire

Horace Moore-Jones' gallantry in going back inside the burning Hamilton Hotel on 3 April to save the lives of others and losing his own life, led the Hawera & Normandy newspaper to comment one week later on 10 April 1922:

"If to New Zealanders Anzac is as Thermoyplae to the ancient Greeks, it is simply because the men who fought at Anzac held their lives as cheap and their honour as precious as did Mr Moore-Jones when he found that in the burning hotel at Hamilton were" still women to be rescued (says the New Zealand Herald). There was an Englishman who, some nine years ago walked out of his tent in Antarctica into a shrieking snowstorm to give up his life for his friends. He is remembered by the whole world as Captain Oates a modest British hero. Remembering how Mr Moore-Jones walked back into a raging fire to give up his life for strangers thousands of New Zealanders will to-day return in spirit to the smoking ruins of the Hamilton Hotel and repeat Captain Oates' epitaph: "Hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman." 

Horace Moore-Jones memorialised as an Anzac soldier, artist & teacher:

Backstory:  Who was Horace Moore-Jones?

(a) Family emigrated from England to NZ, arriving Feb 1885

(b) Studied art, married & exhibited in Auckland & Sydney, 1890 - 1905 

(c)  Schoolteacher & artist in Auckland, 1905 - 1911 

(d) Studied & worked in London (1912-1914) & enlisted as a soldier (1914-1916) 

(e) Returned to NZ in Sept 1916 & held NZRSA lecture tour during 1917

(f) Exhibitions held & taught in Hamilton, 1918-1922

(g) Fatal fire at Hamilton Hotel: 4am, Mon 3 April 1922

Post-fire commemorative events included:

L.D. Nathan donated painting by Moore-Jones to the Borough Council, July 1922

After the fire at the Hamilton Hotel, the owner L. D. Nathan donated a painting by Moore-Jones  entitled 'The Landing' - a scene at Gallipoli - to the Borough Council. The Waikato Times (27 July 1922) reported that Mayor Fow had stated that the Council had received the donated painting  and another called "Murphy" (the Gallipoli donkey) which had been purchased by public subscription towards which the Council had contributed £10.  He advised that the Council proposed hanging both in the Hamilton Library. When the Hamilton Library was reopened on 25 Jan 1923 after going refurbishment, the Waikato Times (25 Jan 1923, p.6) reported that the occasion was marked by the unveiling of "Murphy" and that it was also mentioned during the ceremony that L.D. Nathan's donated picture was also hanging in the library.

Retrospective exhibition (1964) and a play (2011)

During 1964, the Waikato Society of Arts organised the first national retrospective Moore-Jones exhibition which was held in the Hamilton Art Gallery from 13 September to 2 October. The purpose was to honour Moore-Jones as an artist and to herald Hamilton’s centennial, as well as to mark the 50th anniversary of World War One.  See the Exhibition's H. Moore-Jones booklet which includes a biography of Moore-Jones, a chronology and a catalogue of his works. 

In 2011, Hamilton artist and writer Campbell Smith produced his High School Centennial play "Sapper Moore-Jones: Painter of Gallipoli".  

Side-street named after Moore-Jones (2012)

In 2011, the Hamilton City Council supported an application by TOTI (The Theatre of the Impossible Charitable Trust) to honour Moore-Jones as a soldier, artist and teacher. His name was memorialised on the cul-de-sac next to the Hamilton Hotel where he lost his life by saving others from the fire of 1922 -  'Marlborough Place' was renamed ‘Sapper Moore-Jones Place’ on 30 November 2012.  

Statue in front of the Hamilton Hotel & a commemorative play (2015)

The street-naming was followed on 27 March 2015, by the unveiling of a 3.5 metre high bronze statue of Moore-Jones in his sapper's engineering corps uniform. He is depicted sketching whilst kneeling on a plinth of stone. The statute is entitled "The Line of Fire" and Moore-Jones is looking down the line of his artist's pencil towards the site where he gave his life for others in the Hamilton Hotel fire. Images from WWI can be viewed by looking through the camera lens on his bag which is attached to the side of the stone. The seven tonne stone was quarried from Gallipoli and gifted by the Government of Turkey and the City of Çanakkale, through Ambassador Damla Yesm Say.  The sculpture of Moore-Jones was the work of New Zealand Defence Force artist Hon Captain Matt who was commissioned by the Hamilton City Council.  

A new play, "Me  & Murphy" written by William Farrimond was commissioned by TOTI  as part of the Moore-Jones memorial statue unveiling.  The play was performed at the Meteor Theatre. See: Mike Mather, "Play celebrates Hamilton war hero, soldier, artist", Waikato Times, 26 March 2015

Find out more: 

Mike Mather, "Play celebrates Hamilton war hero, soldier and artist", Waikato Times (26 March 2015)

Poppy Places:  012 Sapper Moore Jones Place, Hamilton

Remuera Heritage: The Ladies College of Remuera by Rebecca Crossan

Sapper Moore-Jones memorial, Hamilton', URL: Sapper Moore-Jones memorial, Hamilton, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/memorial/sapper-moore-jones-memorial, (Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 2-Jul-2024

TOTI: Sapper Horace Moore-JonesWW100: Gallipoli hero honoured in Hamilton 90 years after his death  

7 May 1923: Hamilton Hotel reopened by L.D.Nathan

Building permit issued Aug 1922 

In August 1922, a building permit was issued by the Hamilton Borough Council to builder and contractor J. McKinnon to rebuild the Hamilton Hotel. John (Jack) McKinnon (1879-1930) was also president of the Waikato Builders' Association and a Hamilton Borough Councillor.

Source: Lyn Williams, "History: The dead tell tales", Waikato Times (25 May 2018)

The hotel was was constructed in masonry and brick, which has sometimes been described as in the Beaux Arts style. However, heritage consultant and Waikato Times columnist Dr Ann McEwan, says that the neoclassical style is more applicable: “It's got the hallmarks of classical architecture on Victoria St. It's symmetrical. It's got what you call a centre and ends composition, because you've got a main bay in the middle, and then you've got a different treatment for the end bays that really impart that symmetry.” 

Source: Richard Walker, "Tales of the Hamilton Hotel as it turns into the $76.3m Waikato Regional Theatre", Waikato Times (11 Dec 2021)

Hotel opened 7 May 1923 to complaints it was too small

On 7 May 1923, a brief one line notice in the Waikato Times (Vol. 97, Issue 15231, p.4) stated " The new Hamilton Hotel was opened to-day."  

Soon after, there were complaints made that the hotel did not have not enough accommodation for guests as it only had six bedrooms which were on the top floor, and the bottom floor was used solely as the bar.  

1923: Plans to extend the Hamilton Hotel

On 6 June 1923, an application to renew the Hamilton Hotel license with the Hamilton Licensing Bench was made by Mr Northcroft on behalf of Jock McKenzie. The following account of plans to address the hotel's accommodation shortage was given in the Waikato Times: 

"Mr Northcroft also stated, with reference to the shortage of accommodation at the hotel, that the proprietors, Messrs L. D. Nathan and Co., had definitely decided on development work. Instructions had been given to the architects to get out alternative schemes, as the proprietors were undecided whether to use the whole front for hotel purposes, or to erect shops on it, and build residential quarters on the river bank. A definite sum had, however, been set aside for the purpose of development, and plans were being prepared for the work."  Inspector Wohlmann said he was "glad to hear the assurance given by Mr Northcroft that more accommodation would be provided. The town was growing rapidly, and the demand for accommodation was getting bigger every week. During Winter Show week people were quite unable to get beds, and he knew of cases where visitors had to sit in chairs all night."  Mr H. A. Y'oung, S.M. (Chairman), said "the Bench was satisfied with Mr Northcroft’s assurance that suitable accommodation would be provided, and they would be pleased to peruse the plans as soon as they were ready. He facetiously remarked that he hoped this would be before the next quarterly meeting. Mr Northcroft said he could give no assurance on this point. Renewal of the license was granted." 

Source:  Waikato Times (Vol. 97, Issue 15257, 6 June 1923, p. 5)  

1924-1925: Hamilton Hotel extended 

Jack McKinnon was contracted to build the hotel's additions in 1924 and the staff quarters out the back in 1925.  (Source: Lyn Williams, op cit) 

1930: Hamilton Hotel extended

 The Waikato Times (13 May 1930) reported that the extensions to the Hamilton Hotel will include 80 bedrooms:

HAMILTON HOTEL.

AN IMPOSING BLOCK. EIGHTY BEDROOMS.  CATERING FOR VISITORS.

Hamilton has many features of which it may be proud. With the completion of the new Hamilton Hotel block, it will have still more. No inland town in the Dominion will, in fact, possess a hostel so large and complete. It will have 80 bedrooms in addition to two private suites, two private sitting rooms and a large comfortable lounge measuring 60 feet by 40 feet. The majority of the bedrooms will have a hot and cold water installation and the appointments generally will be most comfortable. The present hall and office will be converted into a private bar and the main guest entrance, which will be very imposing will be quite separate from the casual business portion. When the Hon. Pember Reeves was through Hamilton several years ago, he categoried the Hamilton Hotel as one of the best three in New Zealand. With the additional, accommodation, furnishings and service, it should rise to premier place. Hurried arrangements are being made to have the new bedrooms available for showweek, but the workmen will not have completed the final touches for some time yet. The block is a welcome addition, to the buildings of Hamilton.

Source: Papers Past: Waikato TImes, "Hamilton Hotel", Vol. 107, Issue 18027, 23 May 1930, p. 8 

                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Waihi Daily Telegraph (28 June 1930) reported that the extensions by Proprietor F. R. Reid are completed and there are now 75 bedrooms, plus large freezing and cooling chambers

THE HAMILTON HOTEL

RECENT EXTENSIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS UP-TO-DATE ACCOMMODATION 

Mr R. F. Reid, the popular proprietor of the Hamilton Hotel, with a proper appreciation of the future progress of the hub of the Waikato, and the demand of the travelling public has, in conjunction with his principals, undertaken the transformation of the Hamilton Hotel, involving heavy capital expenditure.

That Mr Reid’s decision to make provision on a generous scale for further accommodation and still better service—the latter factor taking a prominen place in the proprietor’s scheme of reorganisation—for the regular patrons and visitors from far and near, is recognised by leading people of the Waikato and others, is demonstrated by the numerous congratulations he has already received. The resourcefulness of the proprietor is well known, an instance being furnished on the occasion of the recent visit to the Waikato of His Excellency the Governor ,and Lady Bledisloe, who were guests at the Hamilton Hotel at a time when the premises were still in the hands of the stone masons and decorators. Notwihstanding these circumstances, the distinguished guests were given the fullest satisfaction.

Mr Reid’s aim was to provide appointments and service that would compare favourably with the best , houses in the Dominion and this has been done. There are now seventy-five bedrooms, furnished with exceptional taste, particular regard having been given to colouring and tone. Each bedroom is equipped with porcelain basins, hot and cold water, and there are no less than 15 baths. The lounge on the ground floor is 60 feet by 40, with up-to-date furnishings. Special attention has also been given to the cuisine department, associated with which are large freezing and cooling chambers. The plant for the manufacture of ice was imported from England and is similar to that installed at the Waikato hospital. Mr Reid and his colleagues are to be congratulated on their foresight and enterprise.

Source: Papers Past: Waihi Daily Telegraph, "The Hamilton Hotel",  Vol. XXVII, Issue 8020, 28 June 1930, p.2

(Note the initials for Reid differ from those that appear in advertisements in the Waihi Daily Telegraph which state the Proprietor is R. T Reid. For example: Papers Past: Waihi Daily Telegraph, 10 Oct 1931) and  Papers Past: Waihi Daily Telegraph, 4 August 1932)

1930S: TAXI SERVICE

An advertisement in November 1933  positioned directly above an an advert for the Hamilton Hotel stated that a taxi service was available: 

TAXI TRIPS Arranged ANYWHERE ANY TIME.   TAXI TRIPS Arranged NYWHERE ANY TIME. , Phone 2060 TINY TOT TAXI SERVICE LTD. The Little Cars with the ' Big Business. 

Source: Papers Past: Auckland Star (8 November 1933) 

The Tiny Tots Taxi Service was wound up on 17 March 1936 (Source:  http://www.nzlii.org/nz/other/nz_gazette/1936/25.pdf) 

It would appear that a private taxi stand had been placed outside the Hamilton Hotel, which the Hamilton Borough Council decided in October 1936 would become a public stand and shift around the corner to Marlborough Place.  

"A change in the system of controlling taxi stands was decided upon at a meeting this evening of the Hamilton .Borough Council. The present private stands at Hamilton and Hamilton East are to be given up and three public stands are to be created. The stands will bo open for the use of all Hamilton taxis. No change will be made in the operation of the Frankton stands. Alterations will be made in the position of the present Victoria Street stands. The Hamilton Hotel stand will be moved to Marlborough Place and the Commercial Hotel stand to Collingwood Street. The railway crossing stand will be moved to Bryce Street. A new stand for three cabs will be created in Alma Street. "

Source: Papers Past: New Zealand Herald, "Taxi business" (Vol. LXXIII, Issue 22544, 8 Oct 1936, p. 16)  

1930S-1940S: Changes in L. D. NATHAN's licensees

The owner of the Hamilton Hotel continued to be L.D Nathan.  A search of Papers Past shows that there were changes in the name of the license holder:

For example:

August 1932:  James Henry Cheshire (Licensee) fined for sale of liquor after closing hour.  (Source: Papers Past: Waikato Times, 'Liquor exposed'  (Vol. 112, Issue 18705, 3 August 1932, p.6))

June 1935: Hubert Arnold Grayson (Licensee) sought to renew license (Source: Papers Past, Press, 2 June 1935)

June 1939:   Hubert Arnold Grayson (Licensee) applied to renew license (Source: Papers Past, Evening Post, 2 June 1939)

April 1942: Donald Edmund Connell applied for publican's license. (Source: Papers Past: Waikato Times, 'Advertisements'  (Vol 139, Issue 21712, 24 April 1942, p. 4)) 

1930s - 1960s: HOTEL GUESTS 

The Hamilton Hotel was a popular place to stay for travellers, club members, sports players and supporters, entertainers, politicians, and royalty.

Reporter Denise Irvine says, "You might say I started small, my first "celebrity" interview being Jamaican singer-songwriter Millie Small, whose smash hit My Boy Lollipop ruled the airwaves for a while in the 1960s. I met her in the lobby of the old Hamilton Hotel, she was tiny, noisy, bouncy, and never stopped talking. Which was just as well, because the junior reporter sent to to do the job was overawed to be in such a famous presence, and couldn't think of what question to ask next. "

Source: Denise Irvine, "Golden moments with celebrities", Waikato Times, 30 March 2013

POLITICIANS

Various Governor Generals stayed or dined at the Hamilton Hotel. The Waikato Times (29 December 1937, p. 6) reported: "His Excellency the Governor General, Viscount Galway, will, it is expected, lunch at the Hamilton Hotel on Friday, when he will pass through Hamilton on his way to Rotorua." 

Source: Hamilton City Libraries: Stories of Hamilton -  Where Hamilton Gathered: The Rise and Fall of a Grand Hotel       

ROYALTY 

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed at the Hamilton Hotel on 30 December 1953 during their Royal Commonwealth Tour 1953-54. A royal suite was fitted out for them on the first floor, complete with kauri panelling, built-in wardrobe, fitted dressing table and mirror, and a plaster ceiling rose. The suite had a view of the Waikato River.  

Unbeknowst to the Royal couple, they were nearly locked out of their room when the door lock broke and had to be hurriedly fixed by a locksmith. 

A photo of the Queen and Prince Philip standing on the hotel's balcony and waving to the crowd can be see in the Waikato Times article by Rachael Thomas (29 Aug 2014), 'The Queen nearly missed out on hotel room'. 

The Royal couple had journeyed from Auckland through Te Kauwhata, Huntly and Ngāruawāhia, where they visited Turangawaewae Marae. That evening, they attended a civic dinner at the Cardrona and youth fiesta at Hamilton’s Bledisloe Hall which originally stood near Garden Place. The next day, Prince Phillip attended a state funeral held in Auckland for the 21 people who had died during the Tangiwai rail disaster which occurred on Christmas Eve. The Queen attended a civic reception at Claudelands Show Grounds and visited Te Kuiti. When Prince Philip rejoined her at Waitomo, they visited the glowworm caves and spent the night at the Waitomo Caves Hotel. 

Source: 

Richard Walker. 'Tales of the Hamilton Hotel as it turns into the $76.3m Waikato Regional Theatre', Waikato Times (11 Dec 2021)

Rachael Thomas , 'The Queen nearly missed out on hotel room'. Waikato Times (29 Aug 2014)

During 1958, the Queen Mother visited NZ during 1 - 14 February. She arrived in Hamilton on 4 February and stayed the night at the Hamilton Hotel. An audio account of her Hamilton visit, including of the crowd assembled in front of the Hamilton Hotel, is held by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision: Royal Tour, HRH, The Queen Mother, 1958.

1980: End of an era - Hamilton Hotel closed 

The Hamilton Hotel closed in 1980. The following year, the building was sold to charitable company Hamilton Art Centre Ltd who developed it as an arts and community centre. 

Source: Hamilton City Libraries:  Stories of Hamilton -  Where Hamilton Gathered: The Rise and Fall of a Grand Hotel       

1981-1997: CHARTWELL TRUST FORMED HAMILTON ART CENTRE

In 1981, the Hamilton Hotel was sold to charitable company Hamilton Art Centre Ltd who developed it as an arts and community centre which became commonly known as the Left Bank. The Hotel and its staff quarters in the rear building were remodelled. The new complex included an exhibiting gallery named Centre For Contemporary Art (CFCA), a gallery for the Waikato Society of Arts (WSA), a restaurant named the Left Bank Café, and a theatre company known as the Left Bank.  It also included storage facilities for the Chartwell Collection of contemporary paintings which were transferred from temporary storage facilities at the Waikato Art Museum. 

The Chartwell Trust had been established in 1970 with a view towards establishing the Waikato Museum of Art and History.  The Trust wished to amalgamate the Waikato Museum (sited on top of the Hamilton Public Library since 1961) and the Waikato Art Gallery (sited in a small building at the junction of Grantham and Victoria Streets since 1948).  In 1973 the Waikato Art Museum moved to the 1400m2 space on the top floor of the PSIS Investment House on London Street.  The Chartwell Collection purchased its first contemporary artwork in 1974 which was held in the Waikato Art Museum.  

Rob Gardiner, a trustee, commented, "At that time, the area near the site of the Museum was as dead as a dodo. There was no vision for connecting the city to the river. So I started to follow the future of property in the area and in particular Victoria Street. Then I found out this hotel was in receivership. It was owned by New Zealand Breweries and they wanted to quit it. I put in some effort to assess the potential of this building and the prospect that this would provide lots of space for a collecting facility and perhaps for galleries. I began to get excited."

"It was such a large property and sitting on an acre of land on the banks of the Waikato. The property was a mess, bottles everywhere, but a beautiful building with a great history. I resolved to start the gallery. The whole complex was remarkable as a gallery space and we opened a restaurant as well. People spent more time eating food than looking at art (laughs). So the Hamilton Art Centre was born and the art gallery was called the Centre for Contemporary Art. For fourteen years I ran what can now be seen as New Zealand’s first privately funded public art gallery. "

"Upstairs there was a series of spaces, forty to sixty hotel rooms...I had to completely earthquake strengthen the upper part of the hotel but we were able to remove a lot of weight by removing all the bricks in the upstairs hotel rooms' walls."  

Source:

Creative Waikato: Contemporary Public Art Gallery - Waikato: Discussion paper 2015, pp. 8,12

The Chartwell project: Being - Our history

 Art & Object: "Hamilton Hotel, Issue 3, 2013, pp. 29-32

1981: Nostalgic photos captured by Robin Morrison & Kees sprengers

Photographers Robin Morrison and Kees Sprengers were commissioned by the Chartwell Trust to record the hotel before it became the Centre for Contemporary Art.  

1982-1997: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (CFCA)

The gallery, named CFCA (Centre for Contemporary Art), opened on 10 August, 1982. The Centre Gallery occupies about 7,500 square feet, which includes an exhibition space of 4,000 square feet and storage of 2,500 square feet for the Chartwell Collection of contemporary art.

 The relationship between CFCA and the Waikato Museum of Art and History was explained by CFCA's Director Rob Gardiner in 1985:  

"The Waikato Museum of Art and History is under construction about 50 yards up river from the Arts Centre site. The decision to establish the Centre Gallery of Contemporary Art was directly influenced by the potential of this physical relationship. The site for the future museum was known when the Art Centre development was planned but at that stage the Hamilton City Council had not made the decision to commence construction.  

The Centre Gallery has been established primarily as a safe and orderly storage for the growing Chartwell Art Collection and to enable its active use in a Gallery exhibition programme. The policy for the Collection is to complement the painting collection of the Waikato Museum of Art and History and there is a direct and active interest in integrating the ultimate potential of the two collections. We plan to continue to collect paintings by contemporary living artists including a representative collection of New Zealand works and expressionist works from countries around the Pacific. To date a number of Australian paintings have been purchased and future acquisitions are likely to reflect the expressionistic character and policy of the Collection. The Collection is stored on sliding steel mesh racks within an airconditioned and secured store space. "

Source:  Rob Gardiner , "The Hamilton Centre Gallery of Contemporary Art",  ASMAZ (The Art Galleries & Museums Association of New Zealand), Vol. 16, No. 2 (March 1985, pp. 14-15)    

1983 - 1998: CFCA included WSA

Rob Gardiner, who was also a former president of the Waikato Society of Arts (WSA), offered the Society "a lease of space for a peppercorn rental in the old Hamilton Hotel at the South End of Victoria Street. The space was officially opened in 1983.  In 1998 the Society moved to another Council owned building in Victoria Street. The old Post Office building was gutted re-lined, re-fitted and re-launched as ArtsPost comprising the Galleries, School, Arts Council, Printmakers and an Artist in Residence programme."  

Source: Waikato Society of Arts: About WSA

1982 - 1994: Art exhibitions

An article in the AGMAZ Journal (March 1985), which includes exterior and interior photos, states that works from the Chartwell Collection "are exhibited for 2 months of the year in the Gallery (December and January) and in the future it is expected that an increasing proportion of exhibition time/space will be taken up by works from the Collection. The exhibitions programme for the balance of the year has been on a calendar monthly cycle and to date some emphasis has been possible on shows by mid—career artists usually with a guest organiser or the artist carrying out planning and design functions.  The Gallery is not a selling Gallery and is not equipped staff-wise to develop heavily curated shows in the manner of public galleries in New Zealand. The use of guest organisers has enabled the Gallery to keep permanent staff to a minimum and this policy will continue. Two permanent staff and 3 part— timers with supporting office and management services enable an active and flexible programme to operate."  

Source:  Rob Gardiner,  op cit.

During 1982-1994, 134 exhibitions were held across the galleries in the complex. Rob Gardiner's daughter, Sue:  “The hotel spaces were wonderful gallery spaces.”  The galleries were designed to optimise the street frontage for passers-by on Victoria St and to provide access to the Waikato River via Marlborough Place. “The CFCA lower level opened out to the river and gardens, and patrons sat at tables on a deck serviced by the Left Bank Cafe,” Gardiner says." 

Source: Richard Walker, op cit.

Brian Anderson who "ran the Left Bank Cafe when the site was owned by the Chartwell Trust, remembers some of the cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions that were held in the main building at that time in the Centre for Contemporary Art (CFCA). There was one artwork called, simply, Waikato, which consisted of a floor covered in coal, then topped in turn by melted cheese. “By the end of the week, it actually stank to hell.”  

Source: Richard Walker, ibid. 

1987: New Waikato Museum of Art and History opened

In 1978 a feasibility study was commissioned by the Hamilton City Council to determine the most suitable location and development type for the new premises for The Waikato Art Museum which had been sited on the top floor of the PSIS Investment House on London Street since 1973. In 1982 the Hamilton City Council decided to proceed with the planning and construction of new premises on the Grantham Street site, along from the former Hamilton Hotel.  In 1987 Waikato Art Museum opened amalgamating the two formerly separate institutions: The Waikato Art Gallery and The Waikato Museum. Waikato Art Museum then became known as the Waikato Museum of Art and History.  Later, in 2002, it was renamed  Waikato Museum. 

Source: Waikato Museum: Our history)

1992: Chartwell Collection transferred to the Museum 

In 1992, Chartwell Trust entered into a new loan agreement for the Collection with the newly opened Waikato Museum of Art and History and the collection transferred there. 

1994: CFCA exhibition programme ceased

In 1994, the exhibitions programme ceased at the CFCA and the building was sold.   

1997: Chartwell Collection on long-term loan to Auckland Art Gallery

 The Chartwell Collection moved to the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmakis on long-term loan in 1997.

1980S-1990S: LEFT BANK CAFé 

When owned by the Chartwell Trust, "Anderson ran the cafe for about 12 years. It was a hugely popular restaurant, a social centre just as the hotel had been in its earlier years."  (Source: Richard Walker, ibid)  

According to Companies NZ, the ownership of the Left Bank Café then changed to Brothers & Partners Limited which was incorporated on 19 April 1994 and dissolved on 30 September 1998. 

Photographs of the exterior of former Left Bank Café can be viewed in the Waikato Times: Jamie Small, "Riverside site awaits rejuvenation", 20 August 2014. In 2014, the new owner Alex Blagojeviche had placed the emptied premises on the market for lease. 

Hotel's staff quarters became Left Bank Theatre

"Brian Anderson, a leading light of the restaurant scene, ran the theatre, which had been originally built as hotel staff quarters. It had fallen into disrepair, and Anderson recalls it took a couple of weeks to clean it up, before he had the middle floor removed and the building refurbished to use as a theatre. "  (Source: Richard Walker, ibid)    

1985: LISTED AS A CATEGORY 2 HISTORIC BUILDING 

On 5 September 1985, the Hamilton Hotel was listed by Heritage New Zealand as "Historic Place Category 2", List Number 4203. 

Source:https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/4203/Hamilton%20Hotel%20(Former)

2012:  Tour of Royal Suite

 Waikato Times journalists Louise Risk and  Denise Irvine undertook a tour of the royal suite as part of the newspaper’s coverage of the Diamond Jubilee during 2012. 

"The keyring to Graham Walker's apartment is tagged "Queen's Suite", and he gets to sleep in the spacious bedroom Her Majesty occupied on the night of December 30, 1953, when she and Prince Philip stayed in Hamilton.  The royal digs are upstairs in the former Hamilton Hotel building in southern Victoria St, and Walker works just down the oak staircase as manager of Bar 101... The hotel's grandeur has long faded, and parts of the spacious building are shabby and a bit sad. But in the bedroom you can still see the solid wood floor, the handsome built-in wardrobes, fitted dressing table and mirror and plaster ceiling rose.  The Queen would have no doubt checked her appearance in the mirror before heading out for a civic dinner that night, held at Hamilton's Cardrona reception centre near Fairfield Bridge. .. He thinks the royal en suite bathroom would have been where their kitchen is now located, and one of the other bedrooms was probably a separate sitting room for the Queen. The suite also has a magnificent view of Waikato River." 

Source:  Louise Risk & Denise Irvine, "What's your name again?" Waikato Times, 2 June 2012 

 2013: Former Hamilton Hotel listed for sale

An article in the Waikato Times (20 August 2014), reported the former Hamilton Hotel had been earth-quake strengthened is is up for sale. The article includes an exterior photo and two interior photographs:

"The sprawling former Hamilton Hotel, at the south end of Victoria St, and an extravagantly fitted out main house and small cottage in an expansive walled enclave behind it, are being sold by the Blagojevic Family Trust.  The sale includes almost 2900 square metres of space in the Victoria St building and follows extensive and costly earthquake strengthening works to elevate it from 27 per cent of the building code, to 67 per cent after completion.  About 700sqm of the hotel building is in separate ownership. Property manager and trustee Alex Blagojevic said the trust had other projects and wanted to free up its investment in the historic building."

Source:  Daniel Adams, "Former Hamilton Hotel up for sale", Waikato Times, 24 July 2013

"Commercial and residential spaces, and an adjoining chunk of land with a house overlooking the Waikato river are also included in the sale."  The commercial spaces were Bar 101 and NV Hair Salon, above which were three residential apartments. Excluded from the sale were neighbouring businesses, Bluestone Room, Easy Tiger and The Victoria Function Room, along with some apartments.  "The house was originally built as the maids' quarters for hotel staff. It was later converted to become what was the Hamilton Theatre, one of the first performance halls in the city. After a massive two-year refurbishment in the early 2000s, the theatre was transformed into a five-bedroom, three-bathroom 638sqm house..."  Adjacent to the main house was a one-bedroom cottage used as  "servant's quarters".

Source: Waikato Times, "Revamped Hamilton Hotel on the market", 6 Nov 2013

2014: LEFT BANK CAFé BUILDING FOR LEASE

Photographs of the exterior of former Left Bank Café can be viewed in the Waikato Times: Jamie Small, "Riverside site awaits rejuvenation", 20 August 2014. Owner Alex Blagojeviche had placed the emptied premises on the market for lease.  The Left Bank Café faces the Waikato River and backs onto the East Tiger and The Abbey bars on Victoria Street which occupy the ground floor of the former Hamilton Hotel. Access is from Sapper Moore=Jones Place.

Oct 2018: Hamilton CBD Business Awards

The annual Hamilton Central Business Association business awards were held on the top floor of the former Hamilton Hotel.

One of Hamilton’s most significant heritage sites will embrace its history in October when it hosts the Hamilton Central Business Association’s 2018 CBD Celebration Awards... The CBD Awards recognise and celebrate businesses that contribute to the vibrancy of Hamilton’s CBD and aim to showcase business excellence.. General manager Vanessa Williams said having the 2018 awards in the old Hamilton Hotel was significant. “The venue is steeped in history and has seen many nights of celebration and glamour,” she said. “With the hotel soon becoming part of the new theatre development and the heritage features renewed, we wanted to remember it in its original form. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the history and future potential of this beautiful building than by celebrating its neighboring businesses, who are all contributing to a fantastic CBD.” Ms Williams said preparation for the venue was coming along well. “The first floor of the hotel, where the awards will be held, has been empty for some time, but is being recreated with the exceptional efforts of Foster Maintain who are working really hard to provide a celebration space befitting of the CBD. “It’s going to be a night to remember.”

Source: Te Waka:  Heritage site confirmed for Hamilton CBD Awards, 12 August 2018

The CBD general manager, Vanessa Williams, "had approached Buckingham Palace to supply some words for the occasion, and read out a letter from “Elizabeth R” remarking on her stay at the hotel 65 years earlier and the fondness with which she remembered the visit." (Source: Richard Walker, op cit)

Waikato Regional Theatre

Project history

The following time-line has been compiled from Share the Stage: Waikato Regional Theatre Project History:

March 2016:  The Founders Theatre was closed by its owner the Hamilton City Council for safety reasons. 

July 2016:   Momentum Waikato approached the Council to develop a new Waikato Regional Theatre (WRT). 

May 2017:  WRT Location Report listing 25 potential locations was prepared by the Waikato Regional Theatre Governance Panel and international theatre designers Charcoalblue. Seven sites were then short-listed and the Hamilton Hotel was the preferred site.  

August 2017:  Momentum Waikato and the Waikato Regional Theatre Governance Panel presented the Hamilton City Council with the feasibility study, the WRT Phase One design Report from Charcoalblue and NZ civic architects Jasmax.

Sept 1917:  Momentum liaised with mana whenua hapū Ngāti Wairere via representative groups Te Haa o Te Whenua o Kirikiriroa (THaWK) and Ngā  Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa (NaMToK) over the location of the Hua o te Atua urupā  on the adjacent riverbank.  

Aug - Nov 2017: Public consultation took place.

March - Dec 2018:  Subsequent design reports with seating capacity increased to 1300.

Oct 2018:  Waikato Regional Property Trust (WRPT) formed to own the Theatre's operating company. 

March 2020: Foster Construction was awarded the building contract. Heritage New Zealand  approved the plan to retain the Hamilton Hotel frontage while rebuilding everything behind it. 

June 2020: Ngā  Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa (NaMToK) carried out a tapu-lifting ceremony on the site.

Dec 2020:  Environment Court hearing on the Hua o te Atua urupā led to agreement to move the building 8 metres away from the river.  

February 2021:  Completion of revision of resource and building consents.

August 2021:  WRPT and Fosters signed construction contract, with an updated and capped total project cost of $80 million. 

September 2021:  Site work underway: site office established,  perimeter fences erected, shops on Victoria Street demolished and  Embassy Park dismantled, including the removal of the Riff Raff statue to its temporary location at the Founders Theatre. 

Late 2021 - early 2022:  Systematic ‘soft stripping’ of heritage items and native timbers from within the Hamilton Hotel for re-use in the new building.  Asbestos removal which required the roof to be ‘encapsulated’ in a tent-like structure. Subsidiary buildings at the back of the site removed, with their floor slabs being lifted and excavated under the presence of the mana whenua and Heritage NZ.  For a behind-the scenes  look, see the Waikato Regional Theatre (WRT) Timelapse June 2022 Youtube video (39 secs)

March 2022:  Riff Raff statue temporarily relocated to stand in front of the Waikato Museum.

Hamilton Hotel site gifted by Mitch Plaw 

"The privately owned site with a rich public history is now passing into a more public ownership, supported by an act of generosity by Hamilton businessman Mitch Plaw, the current owner who gifted the site after it was identified as ideal for the new Waikato Regional Theatre.

“What I liked about what the vision was it is very much a community facility,” Plaw says. The outcome should be a world-class theatre, he says, while also having the potential to open up to the river.

A group of investors including Plaw will at the same time develop the front of the building, likely to become street-front bars and restaurants.

That part of the development has shrunk, however, as the theatre footprint has shifted closer to Victoria St in response to concerns over an urupā, Hua o te Atua, on the southeastern corner of the site."

Source: Richard Walker, "Tales of the Hamilton Hotel as it turns into the $76.3m Waikato regional theatre", Waikato Times (11 Dec 2021)

Controversary over only retaining the Hotel's facade

The Hamilton Hotel's neoclassical facade built in 1923 was to be retained. However, the rest of the building is to be remodelled, including having a glassed wall facing the Waikato River.

 In June 2017, heritage consultant Dr Ann McEwan raised the issue that Momentum Waikato's website showed an aerial view of the site which identified just the street-front of the hotel as being the listed heritage item. However, the Hamilton City Council's "own heritage assessment identifies the whole of the site and specifically mentions the hipped roof block overlooking the Sapper Moore-Jones Place" and also lists significant trees between the hotel and the Waikato River.  McEwan also pointed out: "In addition to its built and natural heritage values, the former Hamilton Hotel site also has archaeological significance for its riverbank location, proximity to a scheduled urupa (Hua O T Atua) and as the site of a hotel since 1865".

Find out more: Ann McEwan, "Memory box", Waikato Times (28 July 2017)

McEwan's concerns that the redevelopment of the Hamilton Hotel would undermine its historic value were recounted by Richard Walker in a later Waikato Times (11 Dec 2021) article:

 While the Hamilton Hotel, "may share a classical style with other buildings constructed around the same time, its ornateness is also about the glamour of a high-end hotel, she says. “You can read the architecture as expressing that value and wanting to create an environment that says, ‘look at me, come here’.”   Built heritage value relates to having a significant history, and McEwan says Hamilton Hotel more than meets that threshold. She is unconvinced by the retention of the facade as a way of preserving that heritage.  One of the issues really around facadism today is that it turns heritage buildings into streetscape, into scenery. And that's not what heritage buildings are about. They're about the embodied life of the people who built them, lived in them, visited them. You know, the Queen didn't stay in the facade of Hamilton Hotel, she stayed in the Hamilton Hotel. So if you destroy the contents of that facade, you are almost entirely obliterating the heritage value of the building.”  She has an alternative vision, which would have involved retaining Hamilton Hotel and turning it into the boutique, four-star hotel often touted for the city, similar to Hotel DeBrett in Auckland, while future-proofing Founders as the city’s main theatre. Her dismay is clear. “It's all too late now, it's all a done deal."

Source:  Richard Walker, op cit. 

Heritage New Zealand: Hamilton Hotel & Urupā

Momentum Waikato's progress report (1 July 2020) on its website stated: The regulatory and planning process required Heritage New Zealand to adjudicate on the status of the Hamilton Hotel building and the riverbank urupaa below the site, which was marked in the District Plan. For the old hotel, approval was given to retain the street frontage while rebuilding everything behind it. For the urupaa, the ruling was that its north-west corner did overlap with the footprint of the theatre."

Share the Stage webpage Waikato Regional Theatre project history stated:  "...[A]s required by the Heritage Act element of the resource consent process, Heritage New Zealand had approved the plan to retain the Hamilton Hotel frontage while rebuilding everything behind it. However, on the key archaeological matter Heritage NZ initially declined the authority to proceed due to uncertainty that there would be enough clearance between the Theatre and the Hua o te Atua urupaa on the adjacent riverbank, a ruling made because the area of the pre-colonisation cemetery was insufficiently defined in the city’s District Plan."

"Momentum had been engaged with mana whenua hapu Ngāti Wairere since 2017, via the representative groups Te Haa o Te Whenua o Kirikiriroa (THaWK) and Nga Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa (NaMToK), and that Heritage NZ decision set entrain formal negotiations involving all the parties." Consequently, the south-eastern corner of the theatre was redesigned to move the theatre eight meters to the west and to cantilever the outside deck off the building rather than use piles. However, the redesigned site did not meet the approval of Heritage New Zealand Māori Council. See article by Florence Kerr, "Heritage NZ Māori Council decline destruction of ancient urupā  site", Stuff.co.nz, 2 July 2020.

However, the proposal to move the theatre by eight metres had "satisfied Heritage NZ that the risk of any impact on the urupaa had been removed. Despite this, NaMToK then appealed this decision in the Environment Court, to dispute that THaWK were the sole authorised representatives of Ngāti Wairere as mana whenua.  The court’s response was that it was up to the hapuu itself to decide which group spoke for it and that Momentum and the WRPT had properly consulted with the mana whenua through both THaWK and NaMToK. The ensuing discussions led to a legal resolution just before Christmas 2020, with all parties agreeing in court on the site-specific issues." (Momentum Waikato, 1 July 2020) 

Locating the building further away from the Waikato River required the resource and building consents to be revisited with the Hamilton City Council, which was completed in February 2021. 

Nov 2021:  Work commences on transforming Hamilton Hotel

Radio New Zealand (26 Nov 2021) reported that work had begun on the new Waikato Regional Theatre: The project was first mooted by the Momentum Waikato Community Foundation, but is now in the hands of the Waikato Regional Property Trust, which will own and run the new theatre. The site includes the old Hamilton Hotel and Embassy Park, where until recently the iconic, Riff Raff statue stood. It will be returned and will take centre-stage at the main entrance to the theatre. The facade of the hotel will be included in the new build. The theatre auditorium will seat 1300 people....The theatre is expected to open in the first-quarter of 2024."

The statue of Riff-Raff was temporarily removed in Oct 2021 to avoid damage during the construction project; and then sited in front of the Waikato Museum in March 2022. See photos in the article by Danielle Zollickhofers, "Riff Raff statue back on display after move to temporary home", Waikato Herald (8 March 2022)

2022 - 2025: Construction Updates

The Waikato Regional Theatre is scheduled to open in late 2025. Bookings are to be managed by Live Nation in partnership with the Theatre's owners, the Waikato Regional Property Trust. 

For construction updates on the exterior and interior, including images, see: Waikato Regional Theatre:  https://www.waikatoregionaltheatre.co.nz/       

                                                                                                                                      >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Find out more:

• Hamilton City Libraries: Stories of Hamilton - Where Hamilton Gathered: The Rise and Fall of a Grand Hotel

• Richard Walker, "Tales of the Hamilton Hotel as it turns into the $76.3m Waikato Regional Theatre", Waikato Times (11 Dec 2021)

• Waikato Regional Theatre: https://www.waikatoregionaltheatre.co.nz/       

This DigitalNZ story was compiled in 2022 & updated in July 2025