Courtenay Place, Wellington

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Courtenay Place at night

Courtenay Place

Local 'resident', Ben Hana

Courtenay Place is the main street of the Courtenay Quarter in the Wellington, New Zealand inner-city district of Te Aro.

Courtenay Place is well known both domestically and internationally as a destination for fashion, art and general tourism to New Zealand. It contains offices, accommodation, tourist shopping, entertainment, food, art and buskers offering many genres of free performance. Pedestrian traffic is substantial around the clock.

[edit] Arts and Theatre

Every two years Courtenay Place is home to many of the New Zealand International Arts Festival events. The richness of Courtenay Place culture inspires many artists, including photographers, professional and amateur alike.

BATS Theatre is New Zealand's leading venue for the development of new theatre practitioners and plays.

Downstage Theatre, founded in 1964, is New Zealand's first professional theatre.

Embassy Theatre The Lord of the Rings movie Return of the King had its world premiere at the Embassy Theatre (known for its Ergonomically Designed Facilities) at the head of Courtenay Place. The movies The Two Towers and The Fellowship Of The Ring both had their Australasian premiere at the Embassy (Event Slide Shows). Both events were broadcast live to the world for many hours, involving the movement of record amounts of data by City Link.

The theatre is on the Wellington City Council's heritage list in the District Plan. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust has recognised its heritage values with Category One registration, indicating a place of 'special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value'.

It was originally known as the 'De Luxe' and was built in 1924. Designed by Llewellyn Williams and constructed of reinforced concrete, it included classical external and internal architectural details. The name changed to the Embassy in 1945. A long list of theatre identities has been associated with the theatre, including William Kemball, who formed the De Luxe Theatre Company in 1923, and Sir Robert Kerridge. Kerry Robins, leaseholder of the Paramount Theatre in Wellington, took over the lease of the Embassy in 1996. It was purchased by the Embassy Theatre Trust in 1997 with financial underwriting of the refurbishment programme by Wellington City Council. Ownership was transferred to the WCC under the terms of the agreement. Embassy Theatre Trust subsidiary Company Financial report: Audit report In October 2005 Wellington film exhibitor Kerry Robins sold the operational management of the Embassy to Village SkyCity Cinemas.

Paramount Theatre 25 Courtenay Place (Paramount) The Paramount is the oldest surviving cinema in Wellington, still with its original name. Originally a part of Te Aro beach, in August 1916 the location of the Paramount was purchased by John James Williamson. He arranged for architect James Bennie to design a picture house.

Reading Cinema Complex

Reading Cinema’s $23m complex contains shops, restaurants and a ten-screen multiplex cinema. The 8,000 m² development links Courtenay Place with the waterfront and was designed to complement the existing character of the strip. This project won the 2003 Property Council NZ Entertainment Excellence Award. Courtenay Central

The Film Archive The Film Archive Te Anakura Whitiahua is on the corner of Ghuznee St and Taranaki St, a block from Courtenay Place.

The Opera House

Westpac St James Theatre 83 Courtenay Place

Formerly His Majesty's, the St James was designed for John Fuller and Sons Ltd by Mr Henry Eli White Architect, structural engineer and contractor. It was the first steel-framed concrete-coated proscenium-arched theatre in the Southern Hemisphere. The steel frame allowed for an unsupported 80 ft (25 m) span roof structure and also provided good resistance to earthquake damage.

[edit] Sports Tourism

The British and Irish Lions Tour, 2005 Wellington mayor, Kerry Prendergast, said "It’s going to be the biggest celebration of rugby and fun the Capital has ever seen. It’s a huge logistical exercise and Council staff are working around the clock to ensure readiness. This will turn Courtenay Place into a 24 hour entertainment zone – the Council is organising live music throughout the day to help people get into the party mood. The closure for the test match is necessary because of the sheer numbers of people expected in the city for the games. We’re planning for 65,000, including locals, in the central city for the test match on Saturday 2 July."