Invercargill's Anderson House was once the city’s art gallery but now its uses will be limited only by the public’s imagination.
The homestead was built in 1925 and Sir Robert Anderson donated it to the Invercargill City Council in the 1950s.
From 1951 it was a gallery which held the artworks of Anderson Park Art Gallery’s collection of New Zealand Art. But in 2014 it was closed for earthquake strengthening and exterior maintenance.
After an eight-year wait, the trust members are now furnishing the home for the official opening this Saturday .
Anderson House trust chairman Craig Macalister said the home would now be a space fit for members of the community to use for functions and events.
There were no kitchen facilities, but a room in the front of the home and the house’s billiard room would be the ideal spot for people to hold functions, he said.
"When it is officially open, we want people to ... use the space for weddings, birthday parties, antique roadshows, art exhibitions or even a space for local musicians to perform — we just want Southlanders to make it their own."
The trust members were excited to welcome the public back in to the space, and planned to keep the home open to the public in the weekends, from 11am to 3pm.
"We want to start breathing life into the building, and we are looking forward to the home being an asset to the city, and it being something Southlanders are truly proud of."
"Gradually we will try to keep the home open for longer hours, but for now we are focused on getting the home all set up."
