Historic Warren and Mahoney drawings: Christchurch Town Hall

Given the intense interest in the latest iteration of the Christchurch Town Hall rebuild, an exhibition of historic 1968 Warren & Mahoney drawings will be on display from the 13th of September 2015 at the Lang Master’s Hollywood 3 cinema in Sumner, Christchurch.

The exhibition is a selection of over 20 large reproductions from the MacMillan Brown Libraries collection at the University of Canterbury, and will be running alongside the feature documentary Charles Luney - Master Builder, a 60 minute colour documentary film narrated by John Coley and directed by Samuel Miller. Trailer can be viewed below.

The documentary, and the drawings, will be of great interest to those who followed the building of the town hall in the late 1960s which culminated in its completion for $4 million, including the Ferrier Fountain in 1972.

Macmillan Brown curator Erin Kimber has worked hard to put together a selection of drawings, which include some of the original submission plans, including specific details of the buildings, and many with evident pen and ink additions and corrections.

With insights into the protagonists and the rich cultural heritage of Christchurch, the feature documentary includes unprecedented interviews with C.S Luney at his home, and in his beloved town hall auditorium.

Recently Council staff presented four new options for the rebuild of the town hall at a cost of $125 million, and this exhibition will be a must see for anyone who wants to be informed about some of the historic issues and personalities that surrounded the original building process.