So, I've gone onto Street View and paired up a few of the dramatic images from the newspapers with "before" images.
Here's the first set of casualties... on the corner of High Street and Lichfield Street. The ANZ Bank chambers are rubble, and no doubt the neighbouring building will be torn down (another sad loss).
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| Cnr High Street and Lichfield Street, Christchurch |
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| Cnr High Street and Lichfield Street, Christchurch |
132 Kilmore Street. - Half the thrifty rentals building has gone. No more deco facade. The Ernst and Young building in the background looks OK though.
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| 132 Kilmore Street, Christchurch |
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| 132 Kilmore Street, Christchurch |
Thinking of art deco, I was pleased to see this still standing on the corner of Columbo and Gloucester Streets. Why?, you're probably asking ... because that horrid facade hides the old state theatre... hopefully someone might see fit to remove that and bring out the deco goodness that's been hidden for some forty years.
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| Cnr Columbo and Gloucester Streets, Christchurch |
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| Cnr Columbo and Gloucester Streets, Christchurch |
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| Cnr Columbo and Gloucester Streets, Christchurch (historic State Theatre) |
Turning around, the cathedral isn't in the greatest shape either. No doubt it will be rapaired though - it is one of Christchurch's main icons.
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| Cathedral, Christchurch |
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| Cathedral, Christchurch |
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| Cathedral, Christchurch |
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| Cathedral, Christchurch |
Of course, some heritage cannot as easily be reinstated. Consider for example provincial chambers on Durham street, another quintessentially "Christchurch" building. It was damaged in the september quake, but now there's really not a lot left of it...
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| Provincial Chambers, Durham Street, Christchurch |
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| Provincial Chambers, Durham Street, Christchurch |
In normal circumstances, I'd be pretty sure that provincial chambers would be painstakingly rebuilt, stone by stone, but I'm not sure there money will be there to do it. If not, I do hope they at least retain the materials so it can be done (though no doubt they'll go straight to the landfill as part of the "cleanup").
Another icon, which I would really hope could be restored, but I doubt will make the cut is the Press building, just around the corner from the cathedral. I doubt I'll ever see this building again, either.
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| The Press Building, Press Lane, Christchurch |
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| The Press Building, Press Lane, Christchurch |
Directly opposite my first pair of photos, on the corner of Lichfield and Manchester streets, there are yet more ruins to complete the set. It appears as though all the buildings along this part of Manchester street are now just rubble.
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| Cnr Lichfield and Manchester Streets, Christchurch |
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| Cnr Lichfield and Manchester Streets, Christchurch |
On Gloucester street, the destruction continues... I guess this is the end of Winnie Bagos
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| Gloucester Street, Christchurch |
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| Gloucester Street, Christchurch |
If there is one thing I find creepy in any pictures after a natural disaster, it's the spray-paint statuses - thankfully both these cars are "clear". No doubt the buildings behind will soon have "no go" on them - and that is another of my favourite buildings on Manchester Street.
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| Manchester Street, Christchurch |
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| Manchester Street, Christchurch |
We all know CTV has gone... but what about that pile of rubble to the right...
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| Cnr Madras and Cashel Streets, Chrischurch (including CTV building) |
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| Cnr Madras and Cashel Streets, Chrischurch (including CTV building) |
The street view gives a hint... this is the building that, I assume,
stood there - the Presbyterian church.
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| Cnr Madras and Cashel Streets, Chrischurch (the Pressbyterian Church) |
There are more of these to post ... but this is enough for one night...
My thought is that Christchurch has lost most of it's heritage buildings. It would be tragic to see the last ones "cleaned up" urgently where they might, in time, be restored instead...
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