'New Zealand Odyssey', published in 1989 by Heinemann, was authored by me, Don Donovan (who did the text and illustrations) and Euan Sarginson, who did the photography and design. In this series of blog posts, I will publish some of my drawings.
All over the world in the 1930s, the magic of Hollywood was stimulating a cult of cinema art deco architecture not only in the great metropolises but in tiny, insignificant communities like Kaiapoi, north of Christchurch.
This building, a community centre when I painted it in 1987, started life as The Rialto Movie Theatre in 1935 designed by Colin Lamb, who had only recently returned to New Zealand from studying in England and America.
Apparently it was going to be demolished in 1995 but was saved by a Christian fellowship organization who subsequently ran it as a church. Whether it suffered in the 2011 earthquake I don't know.
© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
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