Laying the ground for the HBMAG upgrade

After just a few months work, the way is now clear for building to start on the new wing of a redeveloped Hawke’s Bay Art Gallery and Museum.

The wing is to be built on the site formerly occupied by the old Lilliput building and the former Borough Council Chambers – on the high-profile corner of Marine Parade, Herschell Street and Tennyson Street.

The Lilliput building has been demolished and the Borough Council Chambers building moved in two pieces to its new location at the northern end of the Byron Street car park, where it is being carefully restored.

The next stage in the HBMAG redevelopment has begun – sheet piling and excavation which will allow a new storage basement to be built under the new wing.

Meanwhile, work is underway to provide for a new and improved collection storage system in the basement of the existing museum basement. To this end, most of the internal walls and rooms have been demolished, as has the exterior of the Gwen Malden Gallery in Herschell Street.

Upcoming work includes the demolition of the Holt Gallery to make way for a new link and foyer area between the Century Theatre and the existing museum.

The finished complex is aimed at providing a landmark new home for the Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust’s treasured collection and objects.