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In pictures: the end of a city eyesore

Thursday, 22 February 2024

End of an eyesore - for so long an ugly landmark in the heart of Christchurch, the car park at the back of Rydges Hotel is finally being pulled down.
End of an eyesore - for so long an ugly landmark in the heart of Christchurch, the car park at the back of Rydges Hotel is finally being pulled down.

Thirteen years after the earthquakes, an abandoned eyesore building that has blighted central Christchurch for half a generation is finally being demolished.

Heavy demolition machinery has been at the site this week, tearing through the tonnes of concrete and steel that made up the building.
Heavy demolition machinery has been at the site this week, tearing through the tonnes of concrete and steel that made up the building.

A six-storey car park at the back of Rydges Hotel running alongside Worcester Boulevard and Cathedral Square is being pulled down this week, spelling the end for its bright blue mural facade that has long been a distinctive visual signpost.

On Monday heavy machinery tore through the concrete levels that made up the floor of the car park, and by Wednesday much of it was gone, as this series of photographs by Press photographer Chris Skelton show.

The car park pictured in December, when the adjoining rank of shops was pulled down.
The car park pictured in December, when the adjoining rank of shops was pulled down.
The clock tower of the refurbished and restored Grand building pokes above the wreckage of the car park.
The clock tower of the refurbished and restored Grand building pokes above the wreckage of the car park.
On Wednesday the car park was a tangled mess of twisted steel and broken concrete.
On Wednesday the car park was a tangled mess of twisted steel and broken concrete.
The car park’s blue facade has for years been a distinctive landmark in the central city.
The car park’s blue facade has for years been a distinctive landmark in the central city.
A juxtaposition of the old and new - the remains of the abandoned car park are framed by the new facade of the Te Pae convention centre.
A juxtaposition of the old and new - the remains of the abandoned car park are framed by the new facade of the Te Pae convention centre.

Late last year a row of empty shops adjoining the car park and hotel were also demolished by Emmons Development NZ Ltd

Emmons Development, whose sole shareholder is Singaporean-based Naoaki Sun, plans to restore the vacant 14-storey Rydges Hotel.