A further assessment of the building should be carried out by a qualified engineer specialising in heritage and adaptive reuse of buildings, before demolition was considered, he said this week.
Owned by the Central Otago District Council, the hall was closed two years ago after an engineer's report showed there was a high risk of complete failure of all its stone walls during a moderate earthquake.
The community considered various options and decided to build a new hall. Mr White said he was speaking as a Cromwell ratepayer rather than as the Historic Places chairman, but he believed it was important to seek an updated engineer's report.
The hall could be retained and strengthened for less than half the estimated $1.3 million cost of a new one, he believed.
''At the moment, we don't have the information on which to make an informed decision on the future of the building, '' he said.
''Ideally, I'd like to see the hall available to the community in the most cost-effective manner and in a short time frame and to have the building restored back to its original look of 1912.''
Recently restored buildings at Olivers in Clyde and Butlers Farm, at Fruitlands, were of similar construction to the hall.
The cost of strengthening similar buildings to more than 67% of the new building standard and up to 100% was about $85,000 to $100,000 per building, so could be much lower than the replacement cost, Mr White said.
''I think there's a silent majority out there who want to retain this building ... I'm hoping they'll make their feelings known.''
Mr White is a board member of Historic Places Aotearoa, which advocates for heritage protection and preservation.
The Bannockburn Community Centre Committee managed the hall as well as the nearby community-owned church and chairwoman Jan Hawkins said it had worked through the various steps in the fundraising process for a new hall, met the planned major fundholders and progress was ''sound''.
''We sought professional advice a few months ago when a proposal on a method of strengthening the hall was proposed to the Central Otago District Council, who forwarded it to us.
''In light of David White's proposal, which we have only just received, we will again follow proper process, working with the council, and seeking independent professional advice and if it proves to be a viable option, it will be included in the feasibility study and put to the Bannockburn community, '' she said.
''We see the role we have been tasked with as assisting the community to achieve what best suits their needs,'' Mrs Hawkins said.
Cromwell Community Board chairman Neil Gillespie said the board had been working with the community to ''get a hall up and running'' and the issues raised by Mr White could be ''fed into the decision-making process''.
