Dunedin museum closed after cracks found in chimney stack

Dunedin’s Gasworks Museum will close for at least a week while an assessment is carried out after cracks were discovered in the site's chimney stack.

A member of the public last week noticed a lightning rod running up the structure “was no longer flush with the brickwork”, Dunedin City Council group manager property services Anna Nilsen said.

A drone assessment found recent cracks in the brickwork.

“The chimney is regularly inspected and, while we can’t be sure, we suspect the cracks may have been caused by last month’s large 6.8 magnitude earthquake."

The quake, centred off the southwest coast of the South Island, was felt by thousands when it struck on the afternoon of March 25.

The museum’s landlord, the Dunedin City Council, made the decision to close the site as a "precautionary measure" while further investigations were underway.

“The closure will be for an initial period of one week, while we assess the situation and consider options, but may need to be extended.

“This also has the potential to impact surrounding businesses, and we’re working proactively to keep everyone informed.”

Nilsen said the museum acknowledged the disruption to businesses, the trust and its supporters, “but public safety is paramount”.

“We’ll be working as quickly as we can to confirm next steps, and we’ll know more over the coming days.”

The closure was effective immediately.

The council has asked for an engineer’s report on the structure, which was expected to be ready shortly.