PumpHouse Theatre | |
Location: | 2a Manurere Avenue, Takapuna, Auckland New Zealand |
Owner: | North Shore Theatre and Arts Trust (The Pumphouse Theatre) |
Coordinates: | -36.7853°N 174.7678°W |
Completion Date: | 1906 |
Main Contractor: | Mays and Gordon[1] |
Architect: | H Metcalfe |
The PumpHouse Theatre is an artist-led arts centre that presents theatre and other events in the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand.
The pumphouse was originally built on the shore of Lake Pupuke as a pumping stations to provide freshwater for the local community. The building was opened in 1906.[2] The pumping machinery was removed in 1931 when a new water supply was sourced from the Waitakere Ranges, and the building was used for water treatment until it was closed in 1941. The building then began to fall into disrepair. In 1968 two hundred people attended a public meeting in support of preserving the building and turning it into an arts venue. Things got heated as local residents clashed with council and North Shore Horticultural Society who also wanted the land. The casting vote of Mayor Fred Thomas saved the building and local residents began work to renovate and convert the derelict building into a community theatre and arts centre.[3]
In 1983, the PumpHouse was classified as a Category II Historic Building by The New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand).[4]
The North Shore Theatre and Arts Trust (The Pumphouse Theatre) was established as a Registered Charitable Trust in 1971.[5] Major fundraising began with the establishment of the annual "PumpHouse Picnics".[6]
The PumpHouse was converted to a theatre and arts centre, and opened in 1977 by Takapuna City Council Mayor Fred Thomas.[7] [8] Margaret Escott was a founding member of the trust board and was a writer and director. She wrote the play Saved that opened the theatre, a melodrama set in colonial Auckland. She died in the same year and it is said her ghost haunts the greenroom.[9] [10]
The updated trust deed of the North Shore Theatre and Arts Trust, as filed in December 2018, states that the objectives of the trust include:
The PumpHouse has three main areas available for events:[11]
In 2017, the main auditorium was renamed the Genevieve Becroft Auditorium. This was to recognise the contribution of Genevieve Becroft towards saving the historic pumphouse building, and her role as patron of the arts.[12]