Our Lady Star of the Sea Chapel, a former Catholic chapel built in 1924 in Seatoun, New Zealand, was closed in 2002 due to earthquake concerns and it was removed from the list of heritage buildings so as it could be sold. Film-makers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh bought the property in 2007 to be used by one of the Weta companies.
NZ Herald has finally announced that the church was restored by the Jacksons and, according to project manager Vince Visser, “it has so much new steel and concrete That it is now up to 100 per cent of the building code.” The new restoration has made it more functional as a center than a church, it seems that one row of pews was removed along with other religious items. Former parish priest Monsignor John Cardes was disappointed, but he also said that Peter Jackson “had saved the place from an intensive residential scheme”.
You can read the full article at NZHerald.com.
