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Izakaya dishes
my young boy enjoying his gondola ride
The river Avon
A building hovering above the courtyard.Government Departmental Building = Luxury Hotel
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This impressive stately building with its classical ornamentation is located right behind Christchurch Cathedral, and opposite the Press buidling and Cathedral Junction. It was designed in 1909 (and built from 1911 to 1913) to accommodate many of the Government Departments in Christchurch. It was used for this purpose for 70 years. Although it became too crammed and had to be given up for several years, its exterior now looks beautiful and impressive again.
It is part of an important precint of historic buildings which includes the Anglican Cathedral, Warners Hotel, the Press Building, State Insurance Building and State Trinity Centre, and is run as a hotel (The Heritage) since about a decade.
The style of the building, designed by architect Thomas Clarkson Maddison, is that of an Italian High Renaissance palazzo. There is a portico over the entrance at the west front.
The builders were J and W Jamieson who also built the Roman Catholic Church and the Press Building opposite the Government Building.
The foundation stone (of Coromandel granite) was laid on 20 Nov 1911, work was completed in March 1913, and the building occupied by the end of July of the same year.
The building is 79.25 m long and 19.8 m in average width and height. It consists of a basement plus three floors. The gross floor area is 6280 square metres but the occupied nett floor area is only 2996 square metres, mostly due to endless corridors and service areas.
The biggest problem of the building is that it is not earthquake-safe, and it has suffered quite a lot of cracks from such hazards. Strengthening works have been carried out. For example, brick columns have been replaced by steel columns. But from 1980 the second floor was not occupied anymore. It was feared the building could collapse. In 1989 the last tenants vacated the building.
In 1991 a demolition notice was issued but the people of Christchurch, the Historic Places Trust and the City Council rallied to save the building. This ended with sending a petition to the Government, and finally the City Council purchased the building. In 1995 it was sold to a developer who undertook major structural upgrades and strengthening and converted the building into 54 apartments, the so called Christchurch Randalf Apartments. Everything you need for luxury living was added on the ground floor and in the basement: boutiques, a restaurant, a swimming pool, spa, sauna, and gym. Now the complex is run as The Heritage Hotel. -
Detailed info on
http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Heritage/Publications/ChristchurchCityCouncil/ArchitecturalHeritage/GovernmentBuildings/GovernmentBuildings.pdf
Directions:
Just walk around the Cathedral, the building is on the right side of Worcester Street, opposite the Press building.
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