Iconic hotel reduced to rubble
Demolition work at the Hydro Grand Hotel has wrapped up with the bulk of the Timaru building reduced to rubble.
There were cheers from a watching crowd as the Hydro’s famous dome was destroyed just before 2pm on Saturday.
Contractors were on site in the early morning, preparing the 105-year-old building for demolition. The rubble began to fall about 8am.
Owner Allan Booth said it had been ‘‘a good day’’.
He was surprised at how flimsy the building was, saying there was ‘‘really nothing’’ holding up the roof.
The crew had done a great job, Booth said.
Cracking sounds of the diggers tearing through wood and aluminium could be heard as the building was hollowed out.
Booth said there had been a lot of interest from the public.
Former barman Ken Arnold said ‘‘two or three dozen’’ people were there from about 7am in the morning, with crowds lining up in the morning by 8am waiting for the demolition to start.
Numbers grew throughout the day, and by about 10am hundreds of people were watching along Sefton St East and Bay Hill Rd.
Booth said he had salvaged one of the signs, but nothing else from the building.
Certain items deemed to have heritage value were already taken out, as part of the resource consent conditions for demolition.
‘‘I think people will be pleasantly surprised to see the view [of Caroline Bay]. It’s such a stunning spot,’’ Booth said.