For more than seven decades, one of the towers that once helped define Auckland's Queen Street skyline has been hiding in plain sight.
Now, for a few weeks, Aucklanders will be able to see it again.
Look above the scaffolding surrounding the historic St James Theatre and an ornate piece of the city's past has emerged.
Gold detailing, deep reds and blues and the remains of the theatre’s original Spanish Mission-style tower are visible from Queen Street for the first time in more than 70 years.
The original St James was designed by architect Henry Eli White and opened on July 5, 1928.
But in 1953, as Auckland prepared to welcome a newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, the city — and the theatre — were given a modern makeover.
The tower's ornate frontage was boxed in behind a new façade, metal sheeting and neon signage, giving the theatre a more contemporary post-war apperance.
St James Holdings director Steve Bielby said there was a running joke about the lengths cities would go to before a royal visit.
"Essentially the joke is that the Queen thinks the world smells of fresh paint. Because before she came anywhere, everywhere got a facelift," Bielby said.
Queen Elizabeth attended performances at the St James three times during her reign, while other members of the Royal Family also visited over the decades.
Archival footage from her 1953 visit captured the excitement surrounding her arrival.
"It's an occasion which brings to Auckland a touch of London's enchantment," the newsreel narrator declared as the Queen arrived for a Royal Command cinema performance.
While fashions changed again over the following decades, the old St James remained hidden behind its new frontage.
Its survival only became clear when demolition work began years later, with the layers peeled further back this week.
"They cut through the first façade and were like, 'Oh, there's just some tin back here'," Bielby recalled.
"They cut through that and we sort of popped our heads through."
What they eventually uncovered was more substantial than expected, with much of the original ornate frontage still intact.
"One of the really cool things about this is that it was covered in the '50s and essentially became a time capsule," Bielby said.
"It's been really well preserved."
The St James tower was once one of three distinctive towers in this part of central Auckland.
The others, on the Civic Theatre and Auckland Town Hall, had remained familiar features of the city’s skyline while the St James disappeared behind its newer frontage.
Now, with scaffolding temporarily removed while work is carried out on the building's Queen St frontage, all three can effectively be seen again.
The tower will remain visible from Queen St until September 1.
After years of delays, damage and debate, construction has started at Auckland’s historic theatre. (Source: 1News)
When will the St James be rebuilt?
Behind the façade, a much bigger restoration remained underway.
The Category 1 heritage-listed theatre had been closed since 2007, but work was progressing towards reopening it in 2028.
The Government and Auckland Council each committed $15 million to the restoration in February last year, with Auckland Notable Properties Trust also investing in the project.
The restored main auditorium was expected to accommodate around 1480 people seated or up to 2400 standing.
A new basement black-box venue was also being developed with capacity for up to 1200 people.
The theatre had hosted some extraordinary names during almost a century of Auckland entertainment, including Sir Laurence Olivier, James Brown, Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell.
Now its owners hoped the building itself can again become one of the sights people associate with Auckland.
Bielby said visitors did not walk up Queen Street to photograph its modern glass buildings.
"They come up and take photos of our amazing town hall, of our Civic, of our train station," he said.
"And this tower, hopefully, will be one of them."
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