A joint project between the Dunedin City Council (DCC), which owns the hall, and the Mosgiel Coronation Hall Development Trust, which manages it, the $330,000 (plus GST) installation of 357 new seats was finished last month.
Trust secretary/treasurer Bob Cochrane and trustee Bill Feather are delighted with the results, saying the new seats are roomier and much more comfortable for audiences.
"It’s looking great, and the seats are really nice to sit in — we are very pleased with it," Mr Cochrane said.
Feedback from the hall users has been positive, recent users — Dunedin Performing Arts Society dance competitions, touring opera group Operatunity, and New Zealand musician Anthonie Tonnon — and their audiences giving the refurbished hall the thumbs up.
The Australian-made seats were supplied and installed by Maxwood Manufacturing in Christchurch, which began work in January and completed the installation last month.
The majority of the new seats are 500mm-520mm wide, but where possible, larger 550mm-wide seats have been installed. Leg room has been improved, and subtle lighting at the end of rows allows patrons to see seat numbers in the dark.
Mr Feather said the upgrade project also included improved provision for patrons in wheelchairs, repairs to the tiered floor and the cleaning and restoration of the giant stage curtains.
A sectioned-off seating area at the very front of the hall allowed good access for wheelchair users, with removable seats and a floor that could be lifted to reveal an orchestra pit underneath for larger shows, Mr Feather said.
"This is a great feature of the hall — it means we can be flexible as to the type of shows we can host here in the hall."
The trust was pleased to have found homes for all of the old 1960s-era seats, which were offered to any group or individuals who wanted them, free of charge. The majority were put into a container and sent to Auckland, with the balance distributed around the Otago community, from Karitane to Middlemarch.
Mr Feather and Mr Cochrane paid tribute to DCC community and civic property services property officer Maria Sleeman and DCC trades supervisor Robbie van der Loo for their efforts on the successful project.
"They have been great to work with," Mr Feather said.
The Mosgiel Coronation Hall Development Trust keeps an overview of the hall and undertakes any maintenance needed, while the hall itself is run by a team of volunteers — led by volunteer custodian Ian Chalmers.
The hall is popular with local and touring groups alike, and has multiple spaces that can be used for meetings, garden clubs and exercise groups.
The trust is developing its website to incorporate show listings and bookings and can be contacted on email at corohall@xtra.co.nz. It is also listed on the DCC website among its community halls.
Mosgiel Coronation Hall history
- Mosgiel Coronation Hall opened on July 11, 1912, and included a library, reading room, town clerk’s office, mayor’s office, and council chambers.
- The hall serviced as the Borough Council offices until new facilities were built in 1979, and gradually fell into disrepair.
- In 1993, Mosgiel Taieri Community Board consulted the community over the future of the hall, and in 1998 the Mosgiel Coronation Hall Development Trust was set up to raise funds for the refurbishment of the hall, in conjunction with Dunedin City Council.
- The community share of the funds required was $450,000 — raised through pledges, donations, grants and fundraising — with the balance of $900,000 coming from the DCC.
- The hall was refurbished by Lund Construction and reopened in 2001 with a gala concert, at which the trustees acknowledged the work of trust treasurer Keith Willis by naming the lounge in his honour.
- Since then, the trust has continued to manage the hall for the community, on behalf of the DCC, and continue to make improvements.
- In December, 2020, the leaking roof was replaced, with government "shovel ready projects" funding.
- Discussions around replacing the hall seating began in 2015, and continued while the hall was refurbished and painted in 2020, but the 1960s-era seats were not replaced at that time.
- After ongoing discussions and negotiations with the DCC, the $330,000 (plus GST) seat replacement project got under way last year.
- The Mosgiel Coronation Hall Development Trust contributed $40,000 to the total, with the DCC covering the rest.
