An outstanding renovation has been completed on the former Trinity
College buildings in Grafton. The “Ideal Org” of Auckland Scientology has
joined around forty similar institutions around the world—mostly in the USA, of
course.
The Methodist Church apparently wasn’t invited to be formally represented at the January
opening but a few of us found each other there on the day—over refreshments in
the quad.
It was a grand occasion with black-suited men and women from New
Zealand and overseas as well as local guests. Probably seven or eight hundred
were squeezed into the large quad between what was the Common Room block and
the original staff houses. They gave a huge vote of (culturally insensitive!)
thanks to the ritual welcome by Tangatawhenua of Tamakimakaurau.
The audience also gave every speaker a standing ovation when introduced—and
then again after their half-dozen testimonies to the effectiveness of
Scientology and Dianetics in the Auckland setting. The address of the guest
leader of the international organisation was peppered with obscure references
that brought wild applause from the insiders and total mystification to the
visitors.
Your correspondent got reprimanded for shooting some video of the
proceedings (although dozens of camera phones were doing the same thing) but
the professionals were well represented high on a cherry picker and around the
grounds. The internal network put excellent pictures of the two proceedings on
two big screens either side of the impressively detailed dais and decorations.
After half a dozen speeches red and white balloons went skywards and “all the doors”
were declared “open”. It was true—every door was open. Every space (with the exception of the laundry) has been
comprehensively renovated. Rimu panelling has been restored in Dining Room and
Library. Information Centres are everywhere, but so also are small rooms
for “auditing” (counselling), many of these in the original bedrooms.
One clearly identifable auditing room was where John Mabon’s bedroom floor was
double bricked to the fire escape window in 1957. The toilets which were electrified to the
inconvenience of some students about the same time are restored with new
plumbing and beautiful finishing work on the original panelled doors. The Janus
staircase down which many a water fountain flowed free in serious waterfights
has had its iron balusters completely stripped, sealed and re-painted. There
should be a plaque. Less wisely, the concrete walking surface has been painted
off-white.
The stone fireplaces in Dining Room, Common Room and Library have been
cleaned up and retained. Even the College motto Spiritus Ubi Est Ardet high on
the library wall has been left as it was, cast in the wall. Library shelves
remain and have been resurfaced—although at this stage it appears that the organisation has no particular use for them. The main circular stairway has been
meticulously restored and all the floors and steps overlaid with ply and carpeted
with smart nosings. All the steel window frames have been retained, stripped
and repainted—they won’t last for ever but they look pretty smart right now.
The newer classroom block adjacent to the Chapel now houses a fully
equipped cafeteria. The Chapel itself is gloriously redesigned and refurnished
for Sunday Services, Naming events and other congregational gatherings. Indeed,
every space in the original buildings has been utilised and formally identified
for a specific purpose. The standard of new furnishings
in all these internal areas is impressive. It is obvious that the $6m quoted just
for the renovation is not a wildly inaccurate estimate.
One may not have any sympathy for the theology behind Scientology—indeed,
it’s been widely discredited and criticised internationally —but one cannot but
be impressed by the deliberate investment to restore and retain a landmark
building. This is a big commitment.
Methodists may take some pride in the fact that their original 1929
building was permitted to express a much more ambitious format than some would
have wished in Depression time. Maintenance would always represent an ongoing
financial commitment which our church was never able to fulfil. The stress laid
on staff and College Council was always a massive burden - indeed, it was largely with
relief that the decision was finally made to join the Anglicans on the
Meadowbank site. For the next three decades the property was something of an
embarrassment to the Church as deterioration continued while it was tenanted.
But with the $10m sale to Scientology in 2002(?) and the renovation that has taken place, the
strenuous efforts of 1927-29 actually made possible a project which has now become a
huge contribution to the heritage of Auckland and New Zealand.
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