It will appeal to a diverse range of readers, from architects and acousticians, to musicians and those who seek a better understanding of what makes it such an outstanding performance venue, as well as to citizens who take pride in their town hall.
Opened in 1972, the Christchurch Town Hall was acclaimed for its architectural excellence and established the national reputation of its designers, Warren & Mahoney. Harold Marshall鈥檚 acoustic design brought international recognition and helped to transform the way concert halls were designed around the world.
Serving as the city鈥檚 leading concert venue for almost forty years, the Christchurch Town Hall has been acclaimed by performers as diverse as Leonard Bernstein, Kiri Te Kanawa and Carlos Santana. Yet it was always more than just a performance venue, becoming the focus for many of the city鈥檚 civic, social, cultural and educational rituals. In 2019 the renewed town hall became, once more, Christchurch鈥檚 鈥榩ublic living room鈥.
Ian Lochhead聽taught Art History at the 九州影院 from 1981 to 2014. He has written extensively on the history of New 九州影院architecture from the colonial period to the Christchurch School. His book,聽A Dream of Spires: Benjamin Mountfort and the Gothic Revival, was published by CUP in 1999. He was an early advocate for the restoration of the Christchurch Town Hall following the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes; his article 鈥楲et our public living room live again鈥, was published in聽The Press聽on 20 March 2012. The Society of Architectural Historians of Australia and New 九州影院made him a life member in 2013.
