An Imperial restoration

Untouched and obscure for half a century, the buildings that once housed the Roxy and Everybody’s theatres in central Auckland have reopened their doors to reveal an elaborate restoration.

The project to revive all four levels of the 1950s-built Imperial buildings off Queen Street and transform them into a unique hospitality and retail precinct was taken on by architects Fearon Hay, with Phillimore Properties and Pack & Company.

Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of the project is the addition of Imperial Lane, a cloistered laneway carved out between Fort Lane and Queen Street on the ground level. Take the entrance off Fort Lane and you find yourself in an expansive shared space fitted with large oak and concrete tables and housing new Danish patisserie Elske. The space has a distinctly industrial edge with retained raw brick walls, exposed roofing beams and cobbled floors. By day, light pours in through massive lightwells and by night, when small eats and wine are served in the laneway, ceiling lights opulently illuminate the space.

A wander up the spiral staircase off Imperial Lane will lead you to the first floor occupied by new fine dining restaurant The Roxy, headed by New Zealand chef Sean Marshall. While fire damage in the 1950s has stripped most of the ornate detail that once existed, the pared back interior has exposed original brick walls, high steel trusses and a timber sarked roof, features retained in the refurbishment. Impressively sign-posted by a seven metre high neon sign, The Roxy retains its theatrical proportions with vast ceiling height and sweeping stairs.

Neighbouring Everybody’s Bar & Bistro is by contrast a study in decayed glamour, with details still visible in the ornate plaster ceilings and mouldings. Reworked with an elegant mezzanine level, plush booths and an open-air courtyard, this space has a more relaxed lounge atmosphere for casual bistro dining.

The Imperial is now open for business and new eateries in and around Imperial Lane are expected to materialise in the coming weeks. We suspect it won’t take long for this to become a popular inner city hub.