The Hawke's Bay Opera House strengthening project starts this week, with successful tenderer Gemco Construction taking over the site.
The work will start with the removal of the art from the safety fence on the Hastings St side of the building to give contractors clear access. The art will be carefully stored until it is reinstated within the precinct. The Heretaunga St artwork will remain in place in the meantime.
Most of the construction will take place inside the building. The largest piece of work is the strengthening of the four-storey brick side walls of the theatre. That involves attaching reinforcing rods to the inside of the walls, then pouring a concrete shear wall against them in stages to the full height of the structures.
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Hastings District councillor and chairman of council's Opera House and Arts Precinct Subcommittee chairman Malcolm Dixon said the $11 million opera house project was the largest of three in the precinct.