Embassy Theatre

The de Luxe Theatre; 9 Kent Terrace

9-11 Kent Terrace, Mt Victoria, Wellington
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Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2016
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2016
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Map

  • Constructed

    1924 - 1924

  • Heritage Area

    Courtenay Place Heritage Area

  • Architect(s)

    Llewellyn Edwin Williams

  • Builder(s)

    A. W. Williamson

  • A particularly fine early 2oth century cinema, noted for its classical Greek-revival exterior and for the quality execution and design of its interior spaces.

    Purpose-built as a cinema in 1924, the theatre has long-served Wellington’s film-going community.

    Its history reflects the entertainment industry’s fluctuating fortunes. Recently, it’s hosted premieres of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’, films that have fuelled local movie-making growth.

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  • close History

    • The history of this prominent building reflects the fluctuating fortunes of the film industry. The ‘de Luxe’, as it was originally known, opened on 31 October 1924 at a time when silent movies were an increasingly popular entertainment. The first feature screened was ‘The Ten Commandments’. The theatre’s name celebrated the armchair style of seating in the dress circle which offered patrons an unprecedented level of comfort. The owner’s confidence in the future of the film business was reflected in the size of the cinema, which had seating for 1800.

      The four-storey building, which also included shops and offices, was designed by Llewellyn Williams for the entrepreneur William Kemball, of Masterton. It was built by the Christchurch contractor, W. Williamson, at a cost of £100,000. It was the largest theatre in Kemball’s theatre empire, and although his far-sighted confidence in the future of film was not misplaced, the debt incurred in building it was to eventually destroy his business.

      The cinema showed silent films which were accompanied initially by an orchestra, and then, after 1927, by a Wurlitzer organ. When talking films arrived in 1929 Kemball installed a sound system and his was the first cinema chain operator to show the ‘talkies’, as they were then called. This innovation brought more patrons to his theatres but his personal spending (at one time he owned more than 500 racehorses), and his business debts, were unsustainable during the difficult years of the Depression. By 1945 Kemball had sold his 40 (or so) picture theatres in the lower North Island to rival movie mogul, Robert Kerridge.

      The change of ownership brought a new name and the de Luxe became the Embassy. Films continued to flourish, with a weekly trip to the pictures being the cornerstone of the social lives of many New Zealanders. In the late 1960s, however, a new kind of entertainment - television - began to lure the public away. Kerridge was innovative in response and installed a new, wide screen (70 mm - Todd AO) in 1970. However, even the very latest technology could not stem the cinema’s decline, so the following year, the stalls were removed and the downstairs converted to offices.

      The loss of the stalls meant that the theatre was reduced in size by approximately 1000 seats. The remaining part of the theatre – the upstairs circle – is still, by current standards, a grand cinema space with seats for more than 800. The grandeur of the cinema, its wide screen, superior sound system and the vestiges of its originally decorative scheme are likely to be the reasons why the Embassy has endured while many other cinemas built in the first half of this century have been demolished. The building is of particularly high status and since 1985 has been the premier venue for the Wellington Film Festival.

      In 1991 the building was acquired by Brierley Investments Limited, with the intention of renovating the theatre to provide a home for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. This did not eventuate and the Ballet eventually moved to the St James Theatre – another prestigious WCC owned venue. In 1995 the Embassy Theatre Trust was formed to save and restore the building, and in 1997 with help from the Wellington City Council they purchased the property. Between 1998 and 2003 the cinema was refurbished and partially restored, and the auditorium modernised. The building underwent some earthquake strengthening. In 2004 the ownership of the building was transferred to the Wellington City Council.

      In 2003 the Embassy hosted the world premier of The Return of the King, the final part of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Nearly 120,000 people lined the ‘red-carpet’ route along Courtenay Place, and many more watched the televised procession of actors and filmmakers as they made their way to the theatre for the screening. The cinema also hosted a similar event for the world premier for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey in 2012. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings connection have, to some extent, raised the international profile of the building.

      2010 saw the completion of the earthquake strengthening project on the Embassy. The project involved adding concrete ‘shear walls’ in key areas and steel roof bracing above the auditorium ceiling. The project used 72 tons of steel and came in under the $1 million budget.

      The Embassy has significant heritage value. As a purpose built cinema of the 1920s it is one of the few large-screen venues to have remained in near-constant use since its construction. It is an important landmark for Wellington, and it is one of the key heritage buildings in the Courtenay Place heritage area, meaning it has high townscape and contextual values as well. The last few decades have seen renewed interest in film. Wellington has seen new cinemas open, and old cinemas reopen, in the central city and the suburbs. Still, the Embassy remains the premier film venue in the city. It is the main venue for the Wellington audience of the New Zealand Film Festival and an incredibly popular destination for regular film going. With the theatre’s prestige high and the completion of comprehensive earthquake strengthening treatment in 2010, the Embassy’s future looks assured.

    • Modifications close
      • c.1924
      • Original Construction
      • c.1929
      • Modification
      • 1945
      • Sign changed from De Luxe to Embassy
      • c.1951
      • Modification
      • c.1960
      • New 70mm screen installed, as well as new lighting and sound system. Exterior façade altered
      • c.1970 - c.1972
      • Modification
      • c.1970 - c.1972
      • New floor added between stalls and circle for showroom and offices
      • 1998 - 2003
      • Strengthening, refurbishment, and restoration. The auditorium was modernised and as part of the strengthening, a concrete floor was laid between the circle and the stairs.
      • c.2003 - 2010
      • Further earthquake strengthening
    • Occupation History close
      • 1924 - 1945
      • The de Luxe Theatre
      • 1945
      • - present: Embassy Theatre
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      The Embassy Theatre has very high townscape value, as it terminates the view east along Courtenay Place, and it does so in a no-nonsense manner. It has a wide frontage of some 27 metres to Kent Terrace (and a side elevation of 52 metres to Majoribanks Street) and is four stories high. The auditorium, set back from the frontage, is higher again and its plain finish expresses the outline of the concrete frame on the outside. A contemporary description of the theatre calls it neo-Greek in style, in reference to the restrained Classical detailing of the central portion of the Kent Terrace façade which has an acroterion, Greek key friezes, roundels and decorated columns. Some of this decorative work is presently hidden behind an advertising screen. The significant changes to the main facade are the new entrance doors and the altered profile of the central section of the verandah.

      The interior has the same restrained decoration of the exterior. The entrance vestibule has two handsome curved stairs, lined in white Sicilian marble, leading up to the main foyer and the entrance into what was originally the circle. The original volume of the auditorium cannot now be appreciated (although it is capable of restoration) as the stalls have been closed in for other uses, but original finishes and decorative work still exist. The structure is in-situ reinforced concrete, with steel roof trusses. Steel trusses also support the circle without any posts required below.

    • Materials close

      Not assessed

    • Setting close

      The Embassy occupies one of the most prominent central city sites in Wellington and fills it impressively. If Parliament is one bookend to the Golden Mile then the Embassy Theatre is the other.

      At a local level the theatre is the key feature that ‘terminates’ the view east along Courtenay Place and is an important contributor to the Courtenay Place Heritage Area.

  • close Cultural Value

    The Embassy is a particular fine example of an early 20th century movie theatre that is notable for its fine Classical ‘Greek-Revival’ exterior and for the quality and design of its interior spaces.

    The Embassy Theatre is the premier film venue in Wellington. Purpose-built in 1924, the theatre has long-served Wellington’s film-going community. Its history reflects the fluctuating fortunes of the entertainment industry for over the past 90+ years. In that time it has gained a historic association with William Kemball and Robert Kerridge and with the ‘Lord of the Rings’/ ‘The Hobbit’ franchise that has fuelled growth in the local movie-making industry in recent years.

    The Embassy has very high townscape value. Located at the termination of Courtenay Place, its size and site make it an obvious landmark.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        The Embassy is a particular fine example of an early 20th century movie theatre that is notable for its fine Classical ‘Greek-Revival’ exterior and for the quality and design of its interior spaces.

      • Group

        Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

        The building can be seen as part of a group of nearby performance spaces that include the Michael Fowler Centre and Wellington Town Hall at the nearby Civic Square, and the St James, Paramount, Downstage on Courtenay Place, and the State Opera House on Manners Street – all of which contribute to the identity of Wellington as New Zealand’s ‘cultural capital’.

      • Townscape

        Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

        The Embassy has very high townscape value. Located at the termination of Courtenay Place, its size and site make it an obvious landmark.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

        The Embassy Theatre is the premier film venue in Wellington. Purpose-built in 1924, the theatre has long-served Wellington’s film-going community. Its history reflects the fluctuating fortunes of the entertainment industry for over the past 90+ years

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

        The building is associated with William Kemball and Robert Kerridge, important figures in New Zealand’s cinema industry. It has some association with the ‘Lord of the Rings’/ ‘The Hobbit’ franchise that has fuelled growth in the local movie-making industry in recent years.

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        The building is located in the Central City archaeological site reference NZAA R27/270.

      • Educational

        Does the item have educational value for what it can demonstrate about aspects of the past?

        The Embassy offers some educational value for those interested in the history of movie theatres. The theatre shows how many people used to gather to watch film while the grandeur of the building speaks to the cultural value formerly attributed to film-going.

      • Technological

        Does the item have technological value for its innovative or important construction methods or use of materials?

        The early use of reinforced concrete for such a large building gives the Embassy some technological value.

    • Social Value close

      • Identity Sense Of Place Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The cinema has been in continual use, (and has had few intrusive external alterations or additions) for over 90 years and contributes to the sense of place and continuity of the Courtenay Place Heritage Area, and of the wider Wellington Region.

      • Public Esteem

        Is the item held in high public esteem?

        The Embassy is held in very high esteem and this can be seen by its purchase first by Brierley Investments as a home for the NZ Ballet and its subsequent ‘rescue’ by the Wellington City Council.

      • SentimentConnection

        Is the item a focus of community sentiment and connection?

        The Embassy is the site of many fond memories for the cinema going public, past and present and is likely to be a focus of community sentiment and connection.

      • SymbolicCommemorativeTraditionalSpiritual

        Does the item have symbolic, commemorative, traditional, spiritual or other cultural value for the community who has used and continues to use it?

        The building has some cultural value as Wellington’s premier CBD cinema, this status is confirmed by its use at ‘red-carpet’ events such as the world-premier of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ movies.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        The building retains very high levels of authenticity. The interior has seen some change, but the exterior is largely intact.

      • Rare

        Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

        There are few pre-World War Two large-screen cinemas remaining in Wellington, or indeed, New Zealand.

      • Representative

        Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

        The building is an excellent example of a grand early 20th century purpose-built cinema.

      • Importance

        Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

        The Embassy is important on both a local and national level.

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      16/ 172

    • Legal Description

      Lots 24-27 DP 240

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      1/ Historic Place 7500

    • Archaeological Site

      Central City NZAA R27/270

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      Not Earthquake Prone

  • close Additional Information

Last updated: 6/20/2017 9:59:28 PM