Iconic venue Sammy's remains closed five years after being bought by council
A once popular entertainment venue has sat idle for five years since the Dunedin City Council bought it due to fears it would be torn down.
The council bought the Sammy’s building on Crawford St for $128,000 in January 2017, but it did not own the land.
The building opened as the Majesty Theatre in 1897 and its stage was once graced by Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
In more recent years, under the ownership of Sam Chin, it became known as a music venue, hosting acts including The Pogues, Violent Femmes, Hunters & Collectors, and Pavement.
The venue's management ran into difficulties in 2016 when a liquor licence was declined, and it was put on the market – initially for $240,000.
The council confirmed its ownership of the site in February 2017, with then councillor (and now mayor) Aaron Hawkins saying: “Sammy's has played a huge role in Dunedin's social and cultural history, so it's exciting for our community to be able to start thinking about its future.”
The building had been at risk of being torn down, and it was envisaged at the time of the purchase that it would become an anchor tenant for the city’s Warehouse Precinct.
It was one of four venues initially mooted as a possible future performing arts centre along with the Athenaeum, the former Fortune Theatre and the Mayfair Theatre.
A feasibility study noted Sammy's was one of the larger spaces, potentially seating up to 400 people, but had the highest estimated cost – up to $38 million.
That was more than twice the estimated amount of the preferred option of the Octagon-based Athenaeum, which was not owned by the council.
A council spokesman said no decisions had been made regarding the future of Sammy’s, or the Fortune Theatre, which closed in 2018 and was also owned by the council.
“While these two venues have been ruled out as proposed new theatre sites, the council will not be considering any recommendations on their future until the council has decided on the new performing arts centre.”
That wasn’t good enough for music venue advocate Scott Muir, manager of The Chills and on the board of Independent Music New Zealand, who was “very disappointed”.
“The rhetoric around the reasons for purchasing Sammy’s centred around saving the music venue and now it simply seems to be a case of demolition by neglect – something DCC councillors have been happy to level at private business developers when it suits them.”
The same could easily be said of the neglect of the old Fortune Theatre building, he said.
The city was well catered with multipurpose theatre spaces, but was lacking a music venue with capacity for 500 to 800 people.
‘’The opportunity to leverage off the cities rich musical heritage and youth population bubble could easily be incorporated into a development in this space,’’ Muir said.
Poll: Is it okay to grocery shop in your PJs?
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Dunedin - State of Emergency
A state of emergency was declared for Dunedin just before midnight Thursday.
Here's what you need to know:
- A MetService red heavy rain warning is in place for north Otago, Dunedin and coastal Clutha through to 9pm Friday.
- On Friday morning, residents of parts of South Dunedin were still being encouraged to evacuate from their homes if they notice rising waters, or feel unsafe.
- A welfare centre had been set up at Forsyth Barr Stadium for those who have nowhere else to go.
- If residents were worried and needed help getting to the stadium they should phone the DCC Call Centre on 03 477 4000.and ask for assistance.
- There was significant surface flooding across the city, including Peninsula Rd and around the Hoopers and Papanui Inlets, and in Green Island, Caversham, and Musselburgh suburbs. There are also reports of flooding in Kaikorai Valley.
- There was some rockfall on Stone St.
- All households along Dunedin’s Peninsula are told to conserve water due to a broken water supply pipe caused by a landslide.
- Residents can still collect sandbags from South Dunedin (Ice Stadium), Mosgiel (Memorial Park/Gym carpark) and Middlemarch (Showgrounds) throughout the day.
- These sections of the highways are closed:
SH87 Kyeburn to Hyde - Flooding
SH88 Forsyth Barr Stadium to Port Chalmers - Slip
SH90 Waikoikoi to Tapanui - Flooding
- These streets are closed:
About 7am Friday, Dunedin City Council was listing 22 roads as closed:
Kaikorai Valley Road - Kaikorai Valley Road closed between Barr Street and Morton Street - North bound lane off motorway off ramp open - Blocked at Burnside underpass. Closed due to flooding.
Portobello Road - No Detour. Closed due to blockages making the road impassable.
Highcliff Road - No detour in place. Closed due to blockages making the road impassable.
Marlow St - Full length. Closed due to flooding.
Ravelston St - Between Rona St and Cavell St. Closed due to flooding.
Cranley St - Between Cavell St and Marlow St. Closed due to flooding.
Bay View Road - Between Forbury Rd and Prince Albert Rd. Closed due to flooding.
Elwyn Cres -Closed due to flooding.
Dovecote Ave -Closed due to flooding.
Nelson Street -Closed due to flooding.
Loyalty Street -Closed due to flooding.
Tanner St - Inter Rock Side Rd - Closed due to blockages making the road impassable.
Hargest Cerscent - Richardson to Corunna St - Closed due to flooding.
Flagstaff/Whare Flat Road - From Three Mile Hill to Silverstream Valley Road -Closed due to flooding.
Hatchery Road - Closed due to blockages making the road impassable.
Josephine St - Closed due to flooding.
Southdale Road - Closed due to flooding.
Edwin St between Alfred St & Hillside Rd - Closed due to flooding.
Surrey St Closed between Ruskin Tce & Hillside Rd - Closed due to flooding.
Gladstone Road South - Closed between Riverside Road and Gladfield Road due to flooding - Closed due to flooding.
Old Brighton Road - closed between 100 Old Brighton Road and Jeffcoates Road - Closed due to flooding.
Nisbet Street - Closed due to blockages making the road impassable.
Learn more on Stuff or on the DCC website and DCC social media channels.
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