Work under way to rescue heritage facade of wrecked building

Wednesday, 16 January 2019

Demolition at 158 High St will make way for a new three-storey building behind a restored facade.

After nearly eight years of earthquake and weather damage, demolition is under way as part of the rescue of a building named as one of Christchurch's 'Dirty 30' sites.

Property developer and investor Shaun Stockman bought the earthquake-damaged Cotters building in High St last year.

He will retain the heritage building's decorative facade while replacing the structure behind it, creating three storeys of space for retail, hospitality and office tenants.

As it did before the earthquakes, the building will link up at the rear to the hospitality area around Poplar Lane. The area, hard hit by the earthquakes, is now part of the innovation precinct.

Property investor and developer Shaun Stockman.

The Victoria Black facade at 201 High St, prior to work beginning.

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An artist's impression of the retained Cotters facade with a new building behind it.

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The Cotters building pictured last year before the shipping containers were moved off High St.

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Shipping containers supporting the building have been moved off the road and onto the footpath, and now contain 80 tonnes of fill to stabilise them. An attached steel frame braces the facade.

Stockman said once the first stage of demolition was completed, the rest would be done in stages over several weeks because the structure was dangerously unstable.

'It's been exposed to the weather for so many years, we have to be pretty careful.'

Construction of the new structure would happen later in the year, and tenants would be sought then.

Stockman has also started work on the Victoria Black building across the road. This had already lost the building behind its facade when sold, and foundations for the new structure have been laid and the brick facade renovated.

Both buildings were on city council's Dirty 30 list of sites seen as holding back the central city rebuild. Both were built about 1900.

Stockman, who has long experience with heritage buildings in the area, is doing both projects with members of his family.

He said it 'felt good' to have action on the block.

Other heritage facades rescued with the same construction method include the McKenzie and Willis building in the next block, and the nearby Duncans buildings.

The eight sites remaining on the council's Dirty 30 list are: the PWC site at 119 Armagh St, the Bradley Nuttall building at 79 Cambridge Tce, Malvern House at 159 Hereford St, Hereford Chambers at 169 Hereford St, Ace Video at 129 High St, Two Fat Indians at 112-114 Manchester St, and the Peterborough Apartments at 25 Peterborough St. Some are still the subject of insurance disputes.