Christchurch Central police station 2890 02

The Christchurch Central Police Station was the former headquarters of the Canterbury Police District. Once the tallest building in Christchurch, New Zealand, it was damaged in the

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

and demolished by implosion on 31 May 2015.

Location

The Christchurch Central Police Station was located in the block defined by Cambridge Terrace, Hereford Street, Montreal Street, and Cashel Street. From here, Police controlled the Canterbury Police District, which stretches from the Conway River in the north to the Waitaki River in the south, with the

Main Divide The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Souther ...

forming the western boundary.

History

The 15-storey high-rise was designed in 1968 by the Ministry of Works for the

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

. It was opened in 1973 and at high, it was the tallest building in Christchurch until it was succeeded by the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

's library building a year later. Whilst the Police never vacated the building after the earthquake, staff had ongoing concerns over its stability. In December 2011, Police announced that they would move to new temporary offices over the next few months. The building owner, Ngai Tahu, announced in April 2014 that the building would be demolished. In November 2014, it was announced that the demolition would be carried out by implosion.

Implosion

In early March 2015, it was reported on social media that the implosion was scheduled for 18 April, and as even some mainstream media outlets reported that date, the contractor issued an official statement that no date had been set yet. In early May, it was announced that the implosion was scheduled for Saturday morning, 30 May 2015, with the Sunday morning as a bad-weather alternative. The organisers of the Christchurch Marathon found out about the implosion through the media; the marathon was to go through the Hereford / Cambridge intersection on Sunday morning. As a result, the implosion was delayed until 5pm on the Sunday.

Notes

References

* {{S-end 2011 Christchurch earthquake Police Station Former skyscrapers Office buildings completed in 1973 Buildings and structures demolished as a result of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake Government buildings in New Zealand Defunct police stations Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion Buildings and structures demolished in 2015 1973 establishments in New Zealand 2015 disestablishments in New Zealand 1970s architecture in New Zealand Skyscraper office buildings in New Zealand