Hamilton City Council decided to demolish the Founders Theatre.
Hamilton City Council decided to demolish the Founders Theatre.
Founders Theatre will fall victim to bulldozers to make way for a multi-purpose park - that’s Hamilton City Council’s verdict after several years of closure, heated debates and community engagement.
The council made the decision last Thursday and with this, declined the proposal by the Theatre of the Impossible Charitable Trust (TOTI) to repurpose the building as a community hub for heritage and culture.
The council said despite the work and passion invested into TOTI’s proposal, the conditions the council and elected members needed were not met.
“I appreciate the vision and passion of TOTI in working with council on this issue. However, TOTI were unable to provide the assurances Council needed,” Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said.
Council staff will now establish a timeline to remove the building in the next 12 months to start the transformation into a multi-purpose park and community performance space. The area will include purpose-built facilities and the reinstatement of the fountains.
TOTI trustee Margaret Evans said there were “a lot of things” she would like to say, but she is keeping them to herself for now.
TOTI trustee Margaret Evans.
“We are discussing our response and next steps... There are several options we are considering, including legal action... putting [the project] aside and looking at other options [for the community hub],” Evans said.
When asked about the overall mood amongst TOTI and Founders supporters after the council’s decision, Evans said: “The feeling was frustration, disappointment, disbelief... why do they want to do this?”
Southgate said: “The decision is sad. There is a lot of nostalgia associated with Founders, but it’s necessary that we now move on. Our community has indicated they want us to get on with enhancing and activating the West Town Belt, so that’s what we’re going to do.
“Council acknowledges TOTI, for their continuing efforts to repurpose Founders Theatre.”
Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate. Photo / Mike Walen, KeyImagery Photography
Founders Theatre opened in 1962 and has hosted world-famous musicians like Louis Armstrong, the Beach Boys and Lou Reed. It was closed in 2016 due to significant safety concerns and has since been identified as earthquake-prone.
Since its closure, it has been a recurring hot topic and after three community consultations, the council decided in 2020 to demolish the building and turn it into a multi-purpose park - a proposal 84 per cent of people that responded supported, the council says.
TOTI, which has been fighting for the theatre ever since it closed, was initially given until the end of 2021 to submit a full proposal for redevelopment. The trust received an extension until March 2022 due to Covid-19 disruptions.
In May 2022, the council declined TOTI’s proposal and confirmed plans for the park. In September 2022, the council put the park plans on hold to include the theatre site as part of an independent review.
In April this year, the independent review found the cost to repurpose the theatre as a community hub was “prohibitive” and “out of scope”, so TOTI was given more time to strengthen its plans.
