b'gold standardS hes far from being the first one in show business to need remedial work in order to keep drawing a crowd, but for the Hawkes Bay Opera House, it was a lot more than fading looks that were keeping her waiting in the wings.Recently rebranded as part of the ToitoiHawkes Bay Arts & Events Centre, the building remains an exceptionally significant specimen of New Zealands heritage, one of its last surviving theatres designed by renowned theatre architect Henry Eli White.Opened in October 1915 as the Hastings Municipal Theatre, the buildings Spanish Mission style exterior was a picturesque symmetrical arrangement, complete with tiled roof, pale coloured rendered walls, deep-set openings and turrets flanking either side of its principal Hastings Street faade. Inside, the highly ornamented interiors were rich with Art Nouveau-style pressed metal ceilings and plasterwork featuring flowing tendrils, classical heraldic cartouches and ribbon mouldings.Unfortunately, the building sustained extensive damage during the 1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake and required substantial reconstruction. Between 1939 and 1957, it underwent a series of alterations before seeing major restoration works carried out during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Not long after the turn of the millennium, the auditorium was painted by artist Tina-Rae Carter, which included a composition of frescos on the ceiling panels and walls. These works were completed in 2006, and shortly after the building reopened as the Hawkes Bay Opera House. But in 2014, the building was shuttered once more after a seismic assessment deemed it earthquake prone when it failed to meet the required threshold of the National Building Standard.Following an outpouring of public support, Hastings District Council announced ambitious plans to strengthen and refurbish the opera house well beyond the baseline requirements. It was DPA Architects who were commissioned in 2017 to Thes how opposite: Heritage New Zealand has described the opera house as one of the earliest buildingsResenedesigned in the country using the Spanish Mission style, with its lavish Art Nouveau interior suggested to be the largest and most complete example of its type in New Zealand.above right: Walls in Resene Vanquish suit the drama and grandeur of the auditorium and tie in with the rich burgundy textiles used for the curtain and seats. Windows and doors in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel tinted to Resene Merlot, ceilings and balconies in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel tinted to Resene Half Pearl Lusta, Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta and Resene Triple Pearl Lusta and select details in Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Gum Leaf.below right: According to artist Tina Carter, the detailing of her Art Nouveau-styleEighth Pearlmotifs represented the four colours and themes of the opera house: community,Lustamust go on dance, music and drama. While the intention was to retain the mural within the oval,Resene Resenethe deteriorated condition of the ceiling necessitated much of its replacement. DPA Architects paid it homage with their colour choices with the ceiling in Resene Half Pearl Lusta, Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta and Resene Triple Pearl Lusta with select details in Resene Lustacyl semi-gloss waterborne enamelGum Leaftinted to Resene Gum Leaf.Resene Resene Resene MerlotAfter a heritage-sensitive refurb, the leading lady of Hastings is ready to be in the limelight once again. Half Pearl Lusta Triple Pearl Lusta Vanquish12 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 13'