Once a place of dancing, celebration, and socialising, Carterton’s Belvedere Hall is on the market. Local Democracy reporter Emily Ireland shares her memories of a walk-through of the building last year.
"All persons entering this hall do so at their own risk," a placard at the entrance of Carterton’s Belvedere Hall read.
Despite its rotten weatherboards, piles, and door sills, the building still had the charm of yesteryear, held together with number-8 wire Kiwi ingenuity in places.
A large piece of the bathroom door was cut out so it could open without colliding with the toilet, and cobwebs adorned windows, darkened with layers of dust.
In the middle of the hall, the complete side of the angled ceiling and its connection to the front roof and ceiling construction was fixed together with number-8 wire.
The Belvedere Hall, once a part of Carterton’s rural rich history, was built in 1884 and was the home of Belvedere School with enrolments peaking at 90 students.
It later transformed into a vibrant community hall which hosted table tennis evenings and monthly dance lessons.
However, as time progressed, the Belvedere Hall Board struggled with ongoing issues relating to the hall and to the management of the board.
Attempts were made to close the hall in 2014 and 2015 but the decision was made to continue to operate.
In 2022, the hall management was returned to Carterton District Council due to dwindling of community interest, and an increase in issues and maintenance for the hall.
In May that year, the council agreed to close the hall to the public until a decision could be made on its future.
The building was deemed to be no longer fit for public purposes and required a substantial upgrade which was not budgeted for so the council consulted on its disposal in 2023, locking in its fate.
The land’s Reserve Status was revoked in August 2025, and as a result, it became Crown Land under the responsibility of the Department of Conservation.
It was listed for sale at the end of September by Property Brokers, which marketed the property as "more than just real estate – it's an opportunity to own a piece of living history".
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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