Major refurbishments to close Auckland's Aotea Centre for five months
Thursday, 27 September 2018
One of Auckland's leading performing arts and events hubs, Aotea Centre, will be closed to the public for five months for major refurbishments.
The refresh is the first in 28 years and will focus on the interior of the centre.
A new entrance and foyers were planned along with a new glass ticketing office, new bars and exhibition spaces and updated lighting, floor and wall treatments.
During the closure, the Aotea Centre Box Office would move to The Civic Box Office, and the BOX Café and Bar would be homed in Aotea Square, operating out of a pop-up container.
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Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) chief executive Chris Brooks said the group wanted to create a performing arts hub for Auckland.
'We look forward to unveiling the first phase, our upgraded Aotea Centre, to Aucklanders in March.'
The Aotea centre has been part of the Auckland CBD since it was officially opened in 1989.
An $80 million redevelopment of Aotea Square was completed in 2010 to make it appropriate for crowds of up to 20,000 people.
Aotea Square would remain open during the refurbishments and the new look centre would reopen in time for the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2019.