Eight years after a professional theatre company closed and vacated a prominent Dunedin heritage building, the city council might put the property on the market.<\/p>\n
The property at 231 Stuart St has sat vacant since the Fortune Theatre closed in May 2018, costing the Dunedin City Council about $122,000 a year.<\/p>\n
The building opened as a church in 1870 and more recently housed New Zealand\u2019s southernmost professional theatre for four decades.<\/p>\n
Proposals could soon be sought for the council to work out what its next chapter should be.<\/p>\n
Council staff have recommended the property be marketed for sale.<\/p>\n
A request for proposals would cover both commercial propositions and community initiatives.<\/p>\n
In a report to be discussed by councillors next week, council staff said there appeared to be genuine interest in reuse of the property.<\/p>\n
Informal interest had come from community groups and commercial parties.<\/p>\n
The property\u2019s location in the central business district \u2018\u2018provides for a wide range of activities including commercial, recreational, residential, community support, large-scale retail, licensed premises and commercial residential activity\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
It is classified as a category 1 historic place.<\/p>\n
Annual operating costs of about $122,000 included rates, electricity, insurance, depreciation and maintenance.<\/p>\n
This included ventilation and use of dehumidifiers to prevent mould growth.<\/p>\n
A condition report by Flanders Marlow in 2024 determined the building was not fit for occupancy in its existing state.<\/p>\n
Significant cost would be needed to upgrade the property.<\/p>\n
Respondents could be asked to comment on how their plans might benefit the city or how the building\u2019s heritage would be conserved.<\/p>\n
They could be asked to demonstrate an understanding of the building\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n
It was constructed for the former Trinity Methodist Church in Gothic revival style and the Fortune Theatre Trust took it over more than a century later, in 1978.<\/p>\n
The trust found ownership was unsustainable and sold the property to the council in 2000.<\/p>\n
The council said the property had been in a holding state since the theatre left in 2018.<\/p>\n
Urgent repairs had been made where necessary.<\/p>\n