St. James Theatre, Historic theatre in Auckland, New Zealand
St. James Theatre is a historic theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, built in 1928 with a large auditorium featuring ornate plasterwork, carved columns, and classical design elements arranged across multiple tiers. The building sits on Queen Street in the city centre and is listed as a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place.
The building opened in 1928 on the site of an earlier opera house, initially hosting vaudeville shows before transitioning to cinema use. It remained an active entertainment venue for decades until it closed in 2007.
For decades, the venue served as a gathering place where musicians, performers, and audiences from across the region came together to experience live entertainment. The space reflects this legacy of bringing people together through performance and cinema.
The theatre is currently closed for restoration work and is not open to visitors. Once the work is complete, guided tours and live performances are expected to return.
The theatre was designed by architect Henry Eli White, who also worked on several other entertainment venues across New Zealand during the same period. It was built at a moment when vaudeville and cinema were competing for the same audiences, and the building was designed to serve both.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
