The story of buildings is also the story of people, showing how connected we all are.
Garrison Hall, in Dowling St, has a distinctive history of connection and communication, starting with its opening in 1879.
At a time when local defence was seen as vital, volunteer units were woven into everyday life.
The hall quickly became a centre of entertainment too, hosting events such as balls, banquets, concerts, art exhibitions and one of the city’s earliest cinema screenings.
In 1916, Garrison Hall was taken over by the postal department when the old post office was condemned, and this "temporary’ arrangement lasted until the new post office opened in April 1937.
In 1949, a basketball court opened there, and part of the ground floor became a rest centre for older people.
The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation and its later iterations, including Television New Zealand and the later international production company NHNZ, produced many hours of entertainment here that were enjoyed not only in New Zealand but across the globe.
As well as news and magazine programmes, some of the first local shows included children’s favourite Play School, teen magazine show Spot On, panel show Beauty and the Beast and religious music show Praise Be.
A former presenter who still has a strong link to the building is Animation Research founder Sir Ian Taylor.
He has fond memories of the first time he entered Garrison Hall in 1969.
"I was 19, I walked up the stairs, I was a singer in a rock and roll band and I sang I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus in the TV studio that was here."
From being a presenter on shows such as Spot On, Sir Ian formed his own production company Taylormade Media and rented space in the building. Later he moved his business to the former Public Trust building, but retained a soft spot for Garrison Hall.
In 2010, when NHNZ was preparing to move out of the building, then managing director Michael Stedman contacted Sir Ian saying he planned to sell Garrison Hall but needed a tenant.
Mr Cockerill worked to clear the "rabbit warren" inside the hall.
"We counted on average three layers of ceilings and two or three layers of walls," Mr Cockerill said.
He began a process of creating internal spaces that used glass bricks and skylights to help bring natural light into the building.
Sir Ian said he admired the work Mr Cockerill had done to preserve the hall.
"I think of the building as a person, she has got this history.
"I feel her almost grateful that someone has taken the care to put her back, to honour what she has done.
"She was once a three and a-half thousand people concert chamber, and what do we do now? We have a global audience of millions that come from here."
