The Armidale memorial rotunda commemorates the volunteers from the district who fought in the Boer War. Marble honour roll tablets are inset into the brick pillars next to the stairs leading up to the rotunda's stage.
Armidale Captain R.A. Webb approached Armidale Council in 1900 with the idea to erect a memorial bandstand. Citizens were asked to vote on which park it should be built in, by purchasing voting tickets for six pence each. While Central Park was the winning location, Mayor Ald. Solomons, other aldermen and citizens decided on 17 November 1900 to delay a decision until plans had been produced.
The following June, at a meeting of the Fire Brigade and Citizens' Committee, Captain J.A. Webb was elected chairman and plans prepared by Armidale architect Mr William Henderson Lee were considered. The next day, Captain Webb and Council met to further consider the plans and the site. Mr Richard Moffatt, an Armidale builder, was contracted to build the rotunda at a cost of 127 pounds. Because of increased costs, Lee's plans were slightly modified during construction.
The opening ceremony took place on 17 March 1902. A detailed account of the event was published in The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser the following day. The article described the structure as, "octangular in shape, twenty feet wide in the clear, with an iron roof that projects four feet. It has a brick base, four feet six inches high, the roof being supported by iron columns, between which is an elaborate iron palisade. The ceiling is eleven feet from the concrete floor, which is reached by a series of slate steps. At the bottom of the latter there are two piers - one on either side - into which are let marble shields bearing the names of local soldiers who went to South Africa, and in whose honour the band has been erected."
Some 4,000 attended the opening, with special trains running that brought residents from Tamworth and Glen Innes. Following a procession through Armidale to the rotunda, Mrs F.J. White of 'Saumarez Station' performed the official opening. The procession was then reassembled and proceeded to the Armidale Showground for the annual St Patrick's Day festivities.
The rotunda was restored by Armidale City Council in 1992 to mark the 90th anniversary of its construction. On St Patrick's Day, 17 May 1992 the Mayor of Armidale, Alderman Rosemary Leitch, unveiled a bronze plaque made by the Phoenix Foundry, Uralla, to commemorate the dedication of the rotunda.
Various commemorative services are held in Central Park throughout the year.
Historical accounts of the rotunda have been published in the Armidale and District Historical Society Journal:
- 'The band played on with a feu-de-joie', by Jean Newall, no. 35, May 1992
- 'Memorial Band Rotunda', by Ken Peter, no. 42, April 1999