Temporary museum location found in Invercargill CBD

Thursday, 1 November 2018

The ground floor in the former ANZ and ASB building, on the corner of Kelvin and Don streets in the Invercargill CBD, will be the home of a museum/art gallery for the next four years - until the redevelopment of the now closed pyramid museum building by Queens Park is completed in about 2023.

A former bank building in the Invercargill CBD will be transformed into the city's temporary museum and art gallery for the next four years.

The Southland Museum and Art Gallery trust board members agreed on Thursday to lease the ground floor of the former ANZ and ASB building on the corner of Don and Kelvin streets and use it as its interim museum.

Toni Biddle, Invercargill city councillor and chairwoman of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery trust board.

It will temporarily replace the pyramid museum by Queens Park, which was closed in April because of earthquake safety concerns.

The city council has already committed $9.5 million towards redeveloping the pyramid museum building by 2023.

The now closed Southland Museum and Art Gallery pyramid building beside Queens Park. It will be redeveloped in 2023.

City council fast tracks Southland museum's $9.5m redevelopment

Museum will not be reopened during redevelopment

Options being considered for interim museum presence**

The museum trust board's decision to move into the former bank building is contingent on the Invercargill Public Art Gallery approving the plan at its next meeting.

The public art gallery board has previously approved in principle the collaborative project with the museum board.

Museum board chairwoman Toni Biddle said she was delighted a suitable building had been found after a lengthy search.

Some alterations to the existing layout would be needed, but the work was expected to be completed in two to three weeks.

She hoped the the interim museum/art gallery would be open to the public early next year.

The museum board recognised the 'intense public desire' for a temporary presence in Invercargill and was determined to give the people of Southland the best possible museum experience, Biddle said.

The building ticked all the boxes in terms of location, potential exhibition spaces, access, earthquake strengthening and price, she said.

It can provide exhibition space of up to 400m2 and accommodate up to 118 people at any one time.

In May, the Invercargill City Council agreed to spend $200,000 a year for four years, additional to what was already budgeted towards the museum redevelopment, to allow for a temporary museum presence.

The Invercargill Public Art Gallery is in Don Street but will have to relocate in December when work on the new ILT hotel gets underway.

The public art gallery board chairwoman Lynley Irvine said she expected the board to complete the approval process, for moving into the interim building, within a week.

The public art gallery would also be funders of the temporary museum/art gallery and would provide six staff.

It was unclear how many museum staff would be part of the set up.

'The beauty of this is to be able to collaborate and work with the museum folk,' Irvine said.

'We all know we are in a holding pattern … but this is a great way to start.

'I think it's going to be great for Invercargill.'

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