Derelict building to get new life
A derelict and tagged concrete office block in central Christchurch will be restored after it was purchased for $1.1 million by tax refund entrepreneurs Cilla and Aaron Hegarty.
The couple, who founded tax refund company WooHoo, plan to restore the building at 165 Hereford St and reopen it as office and hospitality space before the end of the year.
It is one of three buildings next door to each other on Hereford St that have remained derelict since the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
The building the couple purchased, which features distinctive angular concrete panels around the windows, was designed by architect Charles Thomas and completed in 1979.
Aaron Hegarty said he wanted to rescue a central city building because too many had been demolished.
‘‘I don’t like waste. Too many buildings are coming down that don’t need to come down,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m keen to see the city get going. There was an opportunity to do something useful and I had the time and inclination.’’
He has not applied for resource consent for the restoration work yet, but hopes to have the building open by the end of the year. He hoped his neighbours would also restore their derelict buildings.
Developer Denis Harwood owns the tall, thin glass building next door. The building has been derelict since the 2011 earthquakes. In 2015, Harwood said the building would be earthquake strengthened and reopened by the end of the year.
Now he is not sure when the building will reopen. He said he would start work once his neighbours have strengthened their buildings.
The third derelict building is Malvern House, which is owned by Vincent Chew. Chew did not return calls seeking comment on his plans for the building.