The Sargood Centre is a heritage building at 40 Logan Park Drive, North Dunedin, in Logan Park close to the University Oval. It is available for external event bookings through Otago Polytechnic's events team.
The Sargood Centre is the common name for the former Exhibition Art Gallery. It was designed by architect Edmund Anscombe as the art gallery for the 1925 New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition, with construction beginning in 1924 and completed in 1925. Built in brick and concrete, it was the only one of Anscombe's seven exhibition pavilions constructed in permanent materials — a requirement of the owners who lent artworks for the exhibition. It is considered of outstanding historical significance as the only exhibition building from any of New Zealand's exhibitions still intact and in situ, and one of only eight worldwide. Heritage New Zealand registered it as a Category 1 historic building on 7 July 1982 (List No. 2149).
After the exhibition, the gallery was bought for the display of the city art collection, made possible by a significant donation from Percy and Lucy Sargood in memory of their son Cedric. The Sargood Wing was added in 1951, funded by Lucy Sargood, followed by a two-storey addition in 1968 and an art education block in the 1970s. Two gallery spaces were demolished in 2000, and the building was progressively reduced in size to make way for the expansion of the adjoining cricket ground at University Oval. The city art collection moved to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery on Moray Place in 1997, and the building has since housed sports organisations and a function room. A proposal for complete demolition was avoided; the refurbishment by conservation architect Jackie Gillies involved removing partitions, recreating the original portico and strengthening the main gallery.
Otago Polytechnic lists the Sargood Centre gallery and classrooms for external hire:
The Sargood Centre gallery and classrooms are available for external bookings out of hours and at weekends. Requests to use Otago Polytechnic facilities by external users must be approved before use, and a hire agreement is signed at the time of confirmation.
Indicative pricing published by Otago Polytechnic: gallery hire $400 + GST for a 3–24 hour period within one calendar day, or $250 + GST for a three-hour period; each additional classroom $125 + GST. Normal cleaning costs are included, though the building must be left clean and tidy or additional charges apply.
Catering for events can be ordered through the Otago Polytechnic functions team, which also supports the polytechnic's other bookable space, The Hub — a multipurpose room with capacity for approximately 200 people.
The Sargood Centre suits conferences, seminars, exhibitions, awards evenings and receptions in the 100–250 range, particularly where a heritage gallery setting adds to the occasion. The ability to combine the gallery with an adjacent classroom gives a usable plenary-plus-breakout configuration, and the weekend and after-hours availability suits events that do not need weekday access. Browse more Dunedin venues.
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Nearby listings on the MICE record — indicative only, not a recommendation unless marked Featured.