$1.5m restoration of quake-damaged historic building starts

Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda in 2012.  Photo: Geoff Sloan
Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda in 2012. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Work on a $1.5 million project to restore a well known quake-damaged Christchurch heritage site is set to start this week.

The Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda and its original 70-tonne copper-sheathed dome on Cambridge Tce on the banks of the Avon River will be fully reinstated.

The Canterbury Earthquake Appeal Trust has donated $1 million towards the Christchurch City Council-led rebuild project.

The rotunda sustained major earthquake-related damage in 2010 and 2011, leaving only the dome in one piece, along with the entrance steps.

The Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda on the banks of the Avon River is being restored. Photo: Newsline...
The Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda on the banks of the Avon River is being restored. Photo: Newsline/CCC
The rotunda will once again be used as a performance venue when it reopens early next year.

It was a gift to the people of Christchurch from Thomas Edmonds - the founder of the Edmonds Cookery Book and Sure to Rise Baking Powder. It is a classical-style rotunda built in 1929.

City council head of arks Andrew Rutledge said the rotunda will bring music back to the riverbank as a performance venue.

“We are investing in the area by restoring such an important historic building to its former glory - and in a much stronger form - to again take centre stage alongside the Avon River,” he said.

"The rotunda is a major asset for the city, offering people a sense of place and familiarity in a rapidly changing environment.

"It will be the centrepiece of the riverside precinct."

The rotunda in 2012. Photo: Geoff Sloan
The rotunda in 2012. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Designed by Victor Hean, the rotunda was one of several structures funded by Edmonds to mark 50 years of business in the city.

The River Precinct near the Margaret Mahy Family Playground features several Edmonds-linked heritage landmarks, including the neighbouring pavilion, the Edmonds Clock Tower on the corner of Madras St and Oxford Tce, the Telephone Cabinet and the River Wall.

"It will once again be an important reminder of the past but a tourist attraction for the future," Mr Rutledge said. 

"It presents a strong link to our local history but opens the door to a unique precinct that will draw more people to this part of the city centre."

The reinstated rotunda, which is a category two historic place, will include a curved staircase.

Edmonds was a strong supporter of the local brass band in Woolston where he originally owned a grocery store.

The Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda was home to a restaurant and live music before the earthquakes....
The Thomas Edmonds Band Rotunda was home to a restaurant and live music before the earthquakes. Photo: Geoff Sloan, 2007