Peterborough Centre
Encyclopedia
The Peterborough Centre, the former Teachers' College Building, is located on the corner of Peterborough and Montreal Streets in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is a Category II heritage building. As a result of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, it received NZ$12 million in damage.

History

Completed in 1930, the Christchurch Teachers’ Training College was designed in Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 style by George Penlington, the Canterbury Education Board Architect. The unstable ground, with a high peat content, caused the building to settle and crack within a year of construction. The training college had a close connection to the nearby Christchurch Normal School, later known as Cranmer Court. The Normal School provided a 'normal' school environment where since 1877, trainee teachers could observe their experienced peers in a teaching environment. The trainee teachers were based at the Normal School until the Teachers' College Building was built for them.

Stewart Ross was the architect responsible for converting the school into the current Peterborough apartments, while Robert Douglas Brown was the developer. An underground car park was created in the courtyard as part of the conversion to apartments. The survey plans for the subdivision into individual titles are from 1998.

February 2011 earthquake
The building suffered significant damage in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with repairs estimated to cost NZ$12m, whilst the building is insured for NZ$12.3m. With most owners "committed to rebuilding", the heritage building may be retained. The front entrance is red stickered (no access), while most individual units are yellow stickered (restricted access). Much damage was caused by the underground car park floating upwards due to liquefaction
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid....

 of the ground.

Heritage listing and awards

On 26 November 1981, the building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...

as a Category II historic place, with the registration number 1914. The apartment conversion received a 'Heritage and Conservation Award' from the New Zealand Institute of Architects.
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