The late 1920s and early 1930s was the era of grand movie palaces worldwide. Proprietor Thomas O’Brien had a vision of building the grandest in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand). O’Brien commissioned architect Charles Bohringer to design a theatre with a capacity for over 2,700 people. But not just a big theater. It had to be lavish inside and out. The interior displayed atmospheric Moorish elements below a dome of twinkling stars. The façade features a frieze of dancing cherubs. After a significant restoration in 1999, The Civic has been revitalized as a performing arts venue specializing in musicals. According to legend, this Heritage New Zealand Category 1 property is haunted by Freda Stark. She was a flamboyant and shameless cabaret dancer during WWII – nicknamed Fever of the Fleet – and a key witness during the 1935 murder trial of her female lover, Thelma Mareo. When Stark died in 1999, the two women were reunited at nearby Waikumete Cemetery.
