A new $16 million art museum will be open in central Christchurch in April after the Covid-19 lockdown delayed construction by three months.
The Ravenscar House Museum on Rolleston Ave was originally set to be completed by 2018 and cost $13m, but design complications and the lockdown added another $3m to the construction price and delayed the opening.
The museum will house a unique collection of 110 paintings from the 19th century to the present day, including five paintings by Colin McCahon and 10 by Frances Hodgkins. The collection was started by Christchurch couple Jim and Susan Wakefield in the early 1990s. The museum is funded by insurance proceeds from their former home, also called Ravenscar House, which was destroyed in the Canterbury earthquakes.
Note: NZIOB Board member, Hayley Groves is the Client Project Manager for the Ravenscar House project.
