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CHRIS SKELTON / Things
The Hereford St building was badly damaged in a fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The owner of an abandoned Edwardian villa is in a “nightmare” situation because he cannot demolish the historic building due to its heritage status, but he cannot afford to repair it.
The two-story house on Hereford St in central Christchurch was once the home of renowned artists Philip Clairmont and Tony Fomison and was featured in the 1994 Peter Jackson film Celestial creatures, like the home of Pauline Parker.
However, Andy Wong, whose company bought the building as part of a $ 1.38 million multi-site purchase in May 2013, says the equity listing was made after he bought it, which means no you can develop the site.
Since then, the abandoned building has caught fire twice, with fire crews battling the latest blaze in the early hours of this morning.
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The fire department was called at 5:20 a.m. M. And the apartments on both sides of the empty house were evacuated as a precaution.
The cause of the fire is now being investigated.
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Smoke and flames rose from the roof of the abandoned building on Hereford St. The cause is now being investigated.
Built in 1906, the building is listed as a heritage site by the Christchurch City Council (CCC) for its “historical and social significance.”
Painters Clairmont and Fomison lived and worked there between 1971 and 1972, and Clairmont produced his first major post-student work on the property.
The 2015 heritage assessment report indicated that the building had “architectural and aesthetic significance” as a “weather chart pattern book villa”, which was common in Christchurch in the early 20th century.
Things
Philip Clairmont photographed in August 1980. The artist lived on Hereford St in the early 1970s.
“It retains many original features, including its understated Italian-style architectural detail, interior woodwork, and stained and painted glass.”
Since then, the property has fallen into disrepair and Wong has been quoted $ 300,000 to restore it.
“I have been trying to demolish it for many years, but (the city council) does not agree and the bank is not going to finance the repair of the building (because) it is too expensive,” he said.
“The repair cost is too high and the final value is too low.”
Wong is the sole director of Hotel on Hereford, which has bought the 2,440-square-meter site, between Barbadoes St and Fitzgerald Ave.
In 2014, he announced plans to build a 52-room hotel and 96-bed backpacker hostel on the grounds, but missed an opportunity to demolish the house before it was granted heritage status, he said.
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Firefighters controlled the blaze before damping the building.
“When I bought the building, it was not a significant heritage building, so (I could) demolish it at any time, but I missed the timeline. They said it has become an important heritage (building). “
Graeme Russell, who lives across the street from the property, said there was another smaller fire on the roof last year.
“I want to see it saved. It is one of the few ancient places left, ”he said.
Carolyn Ingles, director of Urban Regeneration, Urban Design and Heritage at CCC, said the building was included in the 1995 Christchurch District Plan and a Statement of Importance was attached to it in the 2015 revision of the District Plan.
“In 2016, the Council discussed the estate listing and District Plan requirements with the owner,” he said.
“A resource consent would be required to alter the exterior of the building or demolish it.”
