Canterbury Museum, Christchurch

Coordinates: 43°31′51″S 172°37′38″E / 43.5309°S 172.6271°E / -43.5309; 172.6271
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For other museums of this name, see Canterbury Museum.

Canterbury Museum
Canterbury Museum in 2017
Map
General information
TypeMuseum
Architectural styleGothic Revival
LocationChristchurch, New Zealand
Address11 Rolleston Avenue
Completed1882
Inaugurated1870 (first part of building)
Renovated1995
Design and construction
Architect(s)Benjamin Mountfort
Website
canterburymuseum.com
Designated25 September 1986
Reference no.290

The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the city's Cultural Precinct.[1] The museum was established in 1867 with Julius von Haast – whose collection formed its core – as its first director.[2] The building is registered as a "Historic Place – Category I" by Heritage New Zealand.[3]

History[edit]

Construction

The building, a Gothic Revival constructed on a design by Benjamin Mountfort, opened in 1870.[2] Two years after its opening, the single-storey building was expanded with an additional floor in the Victorian Gothic style. The museum continued to grow over the next decade, with an addition built on in 1876 and an interior courtyard roofed in 1882.

In 1958, a new wing was added adjacent to Christ's College, and another was built on in 1977. The building was strengthened in the mid-1990s and a four-storey block was added in 1995.

Earthquake impact

The museum sustained minor damage to its façade during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, but remains structurally sound. This can perhaps be attributed to the progressive strengthening and renovating of the buildings to earthquake standards between 1987 and 1995.[4] An estimated 95% of the collections were unharmed.[5] The statue of William Rolleston, located at the front of the museum, toppled off its plinth during the quake.[6] The museum reopened on 2 September 2011.[7][8]

Redevelopment & Controversy

The museum received complaints in June 2020 because of their exhibit depicting a Māori family before colonialism, the dioramas were covered up and later removed in 2022.[9][10][11]

In late 2020 the first concept art designs were revealed and the project was given an estimated cost of $195 million. The redevelopment will bring back the blue whale skeleton onto display (thought to be the largest skeleton in the world) & the Whare Whakairo "Hau Te Ananui O Tangaroa" and also renovate spaces such as Discovery (children's zone), Christchurch Street (model of a Christchurch street in the 1800s) and Fred & Myrtle's Paua Shell House.[12]

The budget of the project was increased in 2022 by 5% rising from $195 million to $205 million.[13] However a government grant will put $25 million towards the project.[14]

The museum started moving its collection of 2.3 million items (less than 1% was on display at the time) from the museum to a dedicated storage facility in mid October and people were invited to "say goodbye" to the galleries before they were packed away for five years.[15][16][17]

In January 2023, it was announced that during the redevelopment the museum would relocate to the CoCA (Centre of Contemporary Art) building, with half of the space being used for temporary exhibitions and the other half for the museums most loved pieces.[18] The pop up is planned to open in mid-2023.[19]

On 28 January 2023, The Shift: Urban Art Takeover was opened to the public after the museum finished moving its collection over 60 artists from around New Zealand had created artwork around 5 floors and 35 rooms inside the museum in areas that were previously open to the public and previously not open to the public. The exhibition closed on 11 April.[20]

The redevelopment will introduce a large atrium into the museum which will expose the walls of the original buildings, the museums blue whale skeleton will also be on display in the space hanging from the ceiling.[21][22] Part of the Roger Duff wings exterior will be removed to create a large glass window spanning across two floors.[23] A second entrance will be added on the Rolleston Avenue side of the building along with the return of the museums original flèche.[12][24][25] The buildings will also be seismically strengthened. Along with the redevelopment of the museum itself the Robert McDougall Art Gallery will become an integrated part of the museum displaying the museums art collection.[26]

Directors[edit]

The title curator and director has been used interchangeably during the history of Canterbury Museum. Von Haast was the museum's inaugural director; Haast died in 1887.[27] Following Haast's death, Frederick Hutton was acting director[28][29] until Henry Ogg Forbes took on a permanent position in December 1888 upon his return from England.[30] In August 1892, Forbes permanently moved to England,[30] and Hutton was appointed full director from May 1892 until October 1905. Hutton applied for leave to travel to England, and Charles Chilton was acting director from March 1905; Hutton died on his return journey from England[29] and Chilton retained his acting role until April 1906, when Edgar Ravenswood Waite received a permanent appointment.[31] Waite was director for eight years until March 1914, when he took the equivalent role at the South Australian Museum.[32]

Robert Speight, who had already been acting director in 1911, was appointed as Waite's successor in March 1914. Speight retired from this role in November 1935.[33] Speight was succeeded by two acting directors who worked alongside one another; the geologist Robin Allan, and the zoologist Edgar Percival.[28] They were succeeded by Robert Falla, who commenced his role on 1 March 1937[34] and who was director until 1947, when he accepted the same position at the Dominion Museum in Wellington.[35] Walter Reginald Brock Oliver was acting director from November 1947 to September 1948. Roger Duff, who had been acting director on several occasions during Falla's tenure prior to Oliver, succeeded Falla as director from September 1948 until his sudden death on 30 October 1978.[28][36] John Crum Wilson succeeded Duff as acting director from October 1978 to February 1979, and then as full director until February 1983.[28] The archaeologist Michael Malthus Trotter succeeded him as director from March 1983 to December 1995. Stephen Phillips had an interim position from January to March 1996 until the current director, Anthony Wright, was appointed in March 1996.[28]

Gallery[edit]

  • The building was designed by Benjamin Mountfort and completed in 1882.
    The building was designed by Benjamin Mountfort and completed in 1882.
  • Historic oblique view of the building.
    Historic oblique view of the building.
  • The sno-cat tractor, Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition (1955–1958)
    The sno-cat tractor, Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition (1955–1958)
  • Clothing collection, 2016
    Clothing collection, 2016
  • Museum entrance
    Museum entrance
  • The skull of a Haast's eagle
    The skull of a Haast's eagle
  • A pātaka
    A pātaka

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, Virtual Tourist Archived 30 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b "The Canterbury Museum". Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Canterbury Museum (19th century portion)". The Register. New Zealand Historic PlacesTrust. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ^ "The Canterbury Museum". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  5. ^ Gates, Charlie; Moore, Christopher. "Christchurch Art Gallery built to highest standard". The Press. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  6. ^ Saunders, Kate (28 February 2011). "Broken City". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. ^ "The Museum is opening!". Canterbury Museum (Press release). Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  8. ^ "Canterbury Museum 'Will Bring People Back'". The Press. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  9. ^ Kenny, Jake (11 June 2020). "Complaints lead to covering of Māori exhibit at Canterbury Museum". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Canterbury Museum apologises for longstanding, 'offensive' exhibit depicting early Māori life". 1 News. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Canterbury Museum removes 'offensive and inaccurate'". Canterbury Museum removes 'offensive and inaccurate' | Tangata Whenua Social Workers Association. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Museum Unveils Concept Designs for Proposed Redevelopment". Canterbury Museum. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  13. ^ Allott, Amber (20 July 2022). "Rising construction costs cause budget blowout for Canterbury Museum's $195m revamp". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Government grant to help pay for Canterbury Museum redevelopment". Newsline. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Cantabrians Invited To Say "See You Later" To Favourite Exhibits". www.scoop.co.nz. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Canterbury Museum moving 2.3m exhibits as major upgrade begins". RNZ. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Say goodbye to your favourite exhibits before museum closes for upgrade". Otago Daily Times Online News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Museum to Pop Up in CoCA Building". Newsline. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  19. ^ Gibbs, Tatiana (25 January 2023). "Canterbury Museum to open pop-up facility in CoCA building during five-year renovation". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Urban artists take over Canterbury Museum ahead of major redevelopment". RNZ. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Ideas flow in for museum's planned $195m redevelopment". Otago Daily Times Online News. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Canterbury Museum moving 2.3m exhibits as major upgrade begins". Radio New Zealand. 21 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Canterbury Museum Redevelopment" (PDF).
  24. ^ "Our Designs". Canterbury Museum. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  25. ^ "The Museum Project Brief" (PDF).
  26. ^ Harris, Dominic (30 April 2019). "Canterbury Museum calls for extra $12m to make former art gallery quake-proof". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  27. ^ Maling, Peter B. "Haast, Johann Franz Julius von". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  28. ^ a b c d e Hiller, Norton; Pollard, Simon (December 2007). Records of the Canterbury Museum (PDF). Vol. 21. Canterbury Museum. ISSN 0370-3878. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  29. ^ a b Parton, H. N. "Hutton, Frederick Wollaston". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  30. ^ a b Mennell, Philip (1892). "Forbes, Henry Ogg" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
  31. ^ Pilgrim, R. L. C. "Chilton, Charles". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  32. ^ Glover, C. J. M. (1990). "Waite, Edgar Ravenswood (1866–1928)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 12. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  33. ^ Gage, Maxwell. "Robert Speight". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Canterbury Museum". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXII, no. 132. 1 December 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  35. ^ Dell, R. K. "Falla, Robert Alexander". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  36. ^ Davidson, Janet. "Roger Shepherd Duff". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canterbury Museum.

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