New owners have restoration plans for Dirty 30 building

Tuesday, 15 October 2019

The former Ace Video building on the corner of High St and St Asaph St, with the Duncan's building pictured at left.

New owners have plans to fix the last broken building in lower High St, the only central Christchurch street never fully reopened after the earthquakes.

The former Ace Video building at the corner of High and St Asaph streets has been on the city council's 'Dirty 30' list of sites seen as barriers to the rebuild.

Two images of the new plans for 129 High St, Christchurch.

It has been bought for $795,000 by Newbold Co, a company owned by Richard and Carolyn Newbold of Christchurch.

The property is next to the historic Duncan's buildings, about half of which are being rebuilt behind existing facades by Duncans Lane Ltd, the owners of Little High and the Riverside Market. The rest are in the hands of individual owners and in various stages of restoration.

Richard Newbold says he and wife Carolyn plan to live in one of the apartments to be added to the building.

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Natu Rama outside the property clearing up after a storm in 2002.

Richard Newbold said they plan to repair and extend the building. In a one-year project, they will strengthen it and put in commercial space for a cafe or shops at street level, with an apartment on the first floor and another in a new top storey to be added.

They have resource consent for the project, and will move into one of the apartments themselves.

Newbold said the property was an impulse buy after they saw the building a week before it went to auction.

'We will try to get it back to what it used to look like. There are not many of these character buildings left,' he said.

'There's a balance between keeping the place as it was historically, and adapting it for an apartment.'

The triangular building had been owned for 30 years by Natu and Nalini Rama, who ran their video business from it until the 2011 quakes.

After a long insurance battle, the Ramas finally settled their claim on the building late last year.

Despite originally intending to keep and repair the property, after the stress of the insurance battle and ongoing vandalism they put it up for sale in May in as-is condition.

Lower High St has never fully reopened since the earthquakes due to the state of its damaged and precarious heritage buildings.

Twelve of the original 30 sites remain on the city council's Dirty 30 list, after owners announced plans or got under way with work on the others.

Dirty 30 List (September 2019)

Tuam St 210-214, Lawrie & Wilson building and Odeon Theatre

Armagh St 128, former PSIS building

Cambridge Tce, 137 Harley building

Cashel St 170, former Holiday Inn

High St 235, former Hunters & Collectors

Gloucester St 249, former Stonehurst hotel and motel

Armagh St 119, Former PWC building

Hereford St 161, Hereford Suites

Hereford St 167–169, Hereford Chambers

Manchester St 112–114, 2 Fat Indians

Peterborough St 25, Peterborough Centre apartments

Manchester St 205, Blue Jean Cuisine