Antonio Hall (mansion)
| Antonio Hall | |
|---|---|
Antonio Hall in August 2011 with earthquake damage
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| Former names | Kilmead Campion Hall |
| Alternative names | Antonio House |
| General information | |
| Type | Residential home |
| Architectural style | blend of English and American domestic architecture |
| Location | Riccarton |
| Address | 265 Riccarton Road |
| Town or city | Christchurch |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°31′18″S 172°35′05″E / 43.5217°S 172.5846°ECoordinates: 43°31′18″S 172°35′05″E / 43.5217°S 172.5846°E |
| Current tenants | empty |
| Construction started | 1904 |
| Completed | 1909 |
| Renovated | 1950s |
| Owner | Wellstar Co Ltd |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Clarkson & Ballantyne (homestead) Collins and Harman (extensions) |
| Designated | 25 October 1996 |
| Reference no. | 7336 |
| References | |
| "Antonio House". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. | |
Antonio Hall, also known as Antonio House and previously Kilmead and Campion Hall, is a historic mansion in the Christchurch suburb of Riccarton. Although protected as a Category II heritage building by Heritage New Zealand, it has been left to fall into ruin. A large property with 279 rooms and once described as "one of the finest in Christchurch and vicinity", it was for three decades used as a Catholic seminary.
The mansion was built between 1904 and 1909 for Thomas Kincaid and named Kilmead by him. Kincaid was a merchant and Christchurch city councillor. William Albert Paxton Clarkson and Robert Anderson Ballantyne, architects trading as Clarkson & Ballantyne, designed the building. When Kincaid died in 1928, his residence was described in his obituary as "one of the finest in Christchurch and vicinity". The property was purchased by farmer and businessman John Montgomery, who owned the property until 1946.
The Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Patrick Lyons, bought the property for the Holy Name Seminary as a seminary staffed by the Society of Jesus established for the training of priests. The ageing archbishop of Wellington, Thomas O'Shea, caused great amusement at the formal opening in February 1947 when he talked about the opening of a "cemetery", and then fell asleep during Prime Minister Peter Fraser's speech. The church added a chapel, a library, lecture halls and a dormitory, which ran perpendicular to the original house. All the design work was carried out by the architectural firm Collins and Harman. The seminary closed in 1978 when the church merged the training facility with their school in Mosgiel, and then ran it as student accommodation under the new name Campion Hall, given the proximity to the University of Canterbury. In total, the building has 279 rooms, including over 100 bedrooms.
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