Auckland Museum ’s Foundation Stone Ceremony

Auckland Museum ’s Foundation Stone Ceremony

To mark the commencement of Auckland War Memorial Museum ’s most ambitious construction project since its beginnings in 1929, a foundation stone will be unveiled in the front foyer by the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark on 17 September 2004.

The foundation stone has been sculpted by Auckland sculptor John Edgar, out of the same Coromandel granite stone used for the foundations of the existing Museum and will eventually be placed at the new Southern entrance.

Auckland Museum ’s Grand Atrium project began in December 2003 and is expected to be completed by September 2006. The project worth $55 million will see the Museum increase its floor space by 60%.

The development will enable the Museum to bring back on site the 3.5 – 5 million objects currently held in temporary warehouse accommodation. It will also provide new visitor amenities such as a new Southern entrance with enhanced meet & greet facilities, a 200-vehicle underground car park, a special exhibition hall, a Learning Centre for life long learning programmes, a 200-seat auditorium, office space and a 400-seat event centre on the roof of the Museum.

The Museum’s fundraising programme was given a tremendous boost in 2002 with an initial donation from government for $23.5 million (plus GST). Since then the Museum, working with its Fundraising Advisory Board chaired by John Maasland has raised a further $26 million from corporate and charitable trust funding. It is anticipated the remaining $6.3 million will be raised by the middle of 2005.

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