St James Theatre

The site of the St James theatre, 77-87 Courtenay Place, has been associated with entertainment since the late 1870s, firstly as a small theatre and then a large hall known as ‘Fuller’s’ opening there in 1899.  

St James theatre was designed and built in 1912 for John Fuller and Sons (a successful vaudeville and variety theatre company) and was first known as His Majesty's Theatre. The theatre was designed by architect Henry Eli White. White was a New Zealand born architect best known for the many theatres and cinemas he designed in Aotearoa New Zealand & Australia in the 1910s & 1920s. The theatre took nine months to build and cost £32,000, and at the time of its opening it was the largest theatre building in the country, with seating for 2300. It was the first entirely steel-framed and reinforced concrete theatre in the world, with more than 500 tonnes of steel used during construction. 

St James was designed for both theatre and film but initially it was used primarily to play silent movies. It slowly grew as a live performance venue and in 1961 a building consent was issued which included adding new dressing rooms and other backstage facilities suggesting the need for more backstage facilities for performers. However, by the 1970s newer venues such as the Michael Fowler Centre, Hannah Playhouse, and the restored Town Hall were being used for live performances. 

Chase Corporation bought the St James to redevelop before the 1987 stock market crash. Chase Corporation wanted to demolish the St James as part of their redevelopment. The opposition to the demolition is one of Wellington’s largest heritage battles. To protect the building the Wellington City Council bought the St James as a performance venue in 1993. After major renovations and earthquake strengthening in 2019 and the conversion of the adjoining building at 83-87 Courtenay Place to serve as the main entrance and ticket office space the St James Theatre is again one of Wellington’s most popular performance venues.