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The Majestic Centre, designed by Jack Manning of Manning Mitchell in association with Kendon McGrail of Jasmax Architects, was completed in 1991. The main building of the Majestic Centre is the Majestic Tower which is the tallest building in 
The site was originally occupied by the Majestic theatre, also used as a cinema and cabaret which operated from 1929 to 1984. The cabaret was a key venue for ballroom events in Wellington. By the time of its closure in 1984, the cabaret was deemed to be an earthquake risk, and demolition began in 1987 to make way for its namesake high-rise building. Dr Henry Pollen's House (aka House of Ladies) had to be saved as a condition of using the site. This building was moved from its original site at 12 Boulcott St down to the corner of Boulcott and Willis Streets. The Willis Street frontage of the Majestic Centre also incorporates the three-storey Edwardian Classical brick façade of Preston's Building, which was constructed in the early 1900s.
The curved shape of the Majestic Centre's tower was determined by wind parameters set by Wellington City Council, aimed at reducing wind gusts at street level and around buildings. The Willis Street entrance to the building consists of a three-storey high foyer with a glass roof, reputedly the biggest in the southern hemisphere at the time of construction. The exterior of the tower is clad in bands of blue glass and
/ref> Following the
The Majestic Centre
Buildings and structures in Wellington City
Skyscrapers in Wellington
1990s architecture in New Zealand
Skyscraper office buildings in New Zealand
Buildings and structures completed in 1991
Wellington Central, Wellington
{{NewZealand-struct-stub
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
, New Zealand. The building, located on 100 Willis Street is high and has 29 above ground storeys, making it the twelfth-tallest skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...
building in New Zealand, along with the ASB Bank
ASB Bank Limited, commonly stylised as ASB, is a bank owned by Commonwealth Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, operating in New Zealand. It provides a range of financial services including retail, business and rural banking, funds managem ...
Centre in Auckland. It was, at the time of its completion, one of the three tallest buildings in the country, the two other contenders (ANZ Centre
The ANZ Centre is an office skyscraper in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at 23 Albert Street, the tower stands at in height and has 35 levels of office space, with a total of floor space.
It was formerly known as the Coopers & Lybrand Tower ...
and ASB Tower in Auckland) being built in the same year. It is to this day the furthest south 100M+ skyscraper in the world. It is mainly used as office space.
The site was originally occupied by the Majestic theatre, also used as a cinema and cabaret which operated from 1929 to 1984. The cabaret was a key venue for ballroom events in Wellington. By the time of its closure in 1984, the cabaret was deemed to be an earthquake risk, and demolition began in 1987 to make way for its namesake high-rise building. Dr Henry Pollen's House (aka House of Ladies) had to be saved as a condition of using the site. This building was moved from its original site at 12 Boulcott St down to the corner of Boulcott and Willis Streets. The Willis Street frontage of the Majestic Centre also incorporates the three-storey Edwardian Classical brick façade of Preston's Building, which was constructed in the early 1900s.
The curved shape of the Majestic Centre's tower was determined by wind parameters set by Wellington City Council, aimed at reducing wind gusts at street level and around buildings. The Willis Street entrance to the building consists of a three-storey high foyer with a glass roof, reputedly the biggest in the southern hemisphere at the time of construction. The exterior of the tower is clad in bands of blue glass and alucobond
A sandwich panel is any structure made of three layers: a low-density core ( PIR, mineral wool, XPS), and a thin skin-layer bonded to each side. Sandwich panels are used in applications where a combination of high structural rigidity and low ...
on the curved area, with precast reconstituted granite concrete panels and a red granite used on other parts of the tower. A crystallized glass called Neo-Paries, a granite alternative, was used inside the foyer. At the top of the tower is a crown of lights on poles.
As of 2014, Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewat ...
New Zealand is the anchor tenant, with naming rights to the building. Other tenants include Opus International Consultants Limited
WSP New Zealand Ltd is a global engineering professional services consulting firm based in New Zealand and owned by Canadian multinational WSP Global. Until October 2019 it traded as WSP Opus.
The New Zealand operation has 40 offices across t ...
, the Japanese Embassy, Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Ltd, the Earthquake Commission and Airways Corporation.18 months to reinforce Majestic Centre/ref> Following the
2011 Canterbury earthquake
A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...
, the Majestic Tower was assessed by engineering consultants to be of moderate earthquake risk, with strengthening costs initially estimated at NZD
The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zea ...
$35 million, later revised upwards to $83-$85 million. The work was completed to 100% earthquake compliance in 2016.
See also
*List of tallest structures in New Zealand
This is a list of the tallest structures in New Zealand. It includes all structures to their highest point however building heights listed are only to the Architectural height and non architectural features on buildings are not included in their ...
*List of tallest buildings in Wellington
This list of tallest buildings in Wellington ranks the tallest building's in the New Zealand capital city of Wellington by height. This ranking system, created by the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat includes the height ...
References
External links
The Majestic Centre