"There are so many memories there and the walls are just seeping with music from people from yesteryear."
That was the reaction from Howie Morrison jnr to news the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre has to close after it fell below earthquake standards.
Rotorua Lakes Council yesterday announced its decision to temporarily shut the Fenton St centre in what the mayor has called a blow for the community.
The closure is expected to last months and the cost to fix it could run to millions of dollars.
Morrison said the centre closure "is sad but at the same time safety is the main priority above everything".
Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre. Photo/ Ben Fraser
"I mean you know buildings suffer fractures over the years just like people when they get old. It is a unique part of our community ... from the young to the very old, it's not exclusive to certain age groups. We have had all our kids there for kapa haka and then there are international acts like the [Imperial] Russian Ballet so it is certainly a shame."
Council arts and culture director Stewart Brown told the Rotorua Daily Post a detailed seismic assessment had found the centre had fallen below building standards and was now an earthquake risk.
"This is an important facility for our local performing arts community so it's obviously disappointing. We never make these decisions lightly but we cannot compromise on public safety and we think the community will understand that," he said.
The Rotorua Museum has been closed since November last year due to significant structural damage by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kaikoura in 2016.
Brown said although there had been no detailed seismic drawings done yet he suspected the cost of bringing the centre up to standard "would be millions".
"We are not quite clear what that may look like at this point ... it's too early to tell until we get the detailed design done."
It already knew about issues with the Concert Chamber walls, he said.
"There are also some issues with connections and bracings in the foyer and stage areas but we know what needs to be done to fix those. Work done on the facility in previous years was compliant but methodologies have changed and we now have new building standards as a result of learnings from Christchurch."
Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Geoff Williams, left, and council arts and culture director Stewart Brown outside the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre. Photo/Ben Fraser
Seven staff employed at the centre would be redeployed across other facilities during the closure, while organisers of events scheduled to be held at the centre over the coming months were being advised of the closure, he said.
The Ticketmaster office would be moved to the Energy Events Centre.
"We'll now work with event organisers and promoters who had bookings to find alternative solutions for as many as we possibly can and we'll be creative in coming up with options.''
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick admitted it was a "blow for the community" after the closure of the museum "but we can't compromise about public safety".
"We're no different here from other districts and need to work constructively around assessment of our infrastructure and any remediation that needs to be undertaken to ensure public safety. We are at that stage now with the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre.
"It's been on the radar for a potential upgrade which we envisaged would happen at the same time as earthquake-strengthening and if we are prepared to look at this positively, it could actually become an opportunity."
Combined Churches Christmas Day lunch chairman Dave Moore said the ministers' association had been advised about the closure and were working with the council to provide an alternative venue for the annual community lunch.
The event had been held at the centre for the last three years with hundreds of people attending, Moore said.
"It has been excellent for us having it there and we have a partnership with council that supports the event."
Destination Rotorua chief executive Michelle Templer said the closure was unfortunate but "I don't see it having any major impact on tourist numbers to be honest".
"In Rotorua we are really fortunate with a lot of hotel infrastructure we can accommodate a lot of the activities that were going to take place at the centre."
Meanwhile, because the museum was such a stunning building it still attracted visitors, she said.
A Ministry of Business Employment and Innovation spokeswoman said New Zealand was spilt into three seismic risk areas and Rotorua was a medium risk.
Background * The Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre was closed on June 8 for two weeks while earthquake-strengthening work was carried out on an internal wall. * The Concert Chamber remained closed while a detailed seismic assessment of that part of the building was done. * The Concert Chamber was part of the original 1938 centre and was incorporated into the current building during its redevelopment in the mid-1990s. * The chamber was a Category One heritage building so the council was working with Heritage New Zealand at the time regarding assessments.
