Cranmer Court
| Cranmer Court | |
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Cranmer Court in 2007
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 Location within the Christchurch Central City
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| Former names | Christchurch Normal School |
| General information | |
| Type | Education building |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Location | corner Kilmore and Montreal Streets |
| Address | 350 Montreal Street |
| Town or city | Christchurch |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°31′30″S 172°37′47″E / 43.52500°S 172.62972°E |
| Completed | 1876 |
| Inaugurated | April 1876 |
| Demolished | October 2012 |
| Client | Canterbury Education Board |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Samuel Farr |
| Main contractor | Daniel Reese |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Thomas Cane (1878) |
| Designated | 21 March 1991 |
| Reference no. | 1872 |
| References | |
| "Cranmer Court (Former Normal School)". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. | |
Cranmer Court, the former Christchurch Normal School, was one of the most significant heritage buildings in Christchurch, New Zealand. Its demolition, due to some damage in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, was controversial.
The Canterbury Board of Education held an architectural competition in 1873 for the design of the Christchurch Normal School. At the time, education was still the responsibility of provincial government. The competition was announced in The Press by advertisement on 18 April of that year, rewarding the two best entries with ₤50 and ₤25, respectively. The Board received 12 entries, with Christchurch architect Samuel Farr winning the competition, and Dunedin-based Robert Lawson coming second.
Construction began later in 1873, with Sir Charles Fergusson, the Governor of New Zealand, laying the foundation stone. The builder was Daniel Reese, who completed construction after three years. The school was opened on 3 April 1876 and was one of New Zealand's first normal schools (with the Dunedin school opened earlier that year).
In 1930, the Teachers' College Building was built diagonally opposite the Normal School as accommodation for trainee teachers. That building is also registered, as Category II, with the Historic Places Trust.
When the building was vacated in 1970, an argument about its future raged for more than a decade. Eventually, the building was purchased by a local entrepreneur, Chris Berryman, whose company gutted and built apartments inside the empty shell. It also housed Grimsby's Restaurant.
On 21 March 1991, the building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place, with the registration number 1872.
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