Crowne Plaza, Christchurch

Crowne Plaza (former)
Crowne Plaza as seen from Victoria Street in May 2011
General information
Type	Hotel
Location	Christchurch Central City
Address	corner Kilmore and Durham Streets, Christchurch, New Zealand
Coordinates	43°31′37″S 172°38′02″E / 43.527°S 172.634°E / -43.527; 172.634Coordinates: 43°31′37″S 172°38′02″E / 43.527°S 172.634°E / -43.527; 172.634
Completed	1989
Height
Roof	45 m (148 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	12 storeys
Design and construction
Architect	Warren and Mahoney
Developer	Southern Pacific Hotels Corporation (SPHC)

The Crowne Plaza in Christchurch, New Zealand, originally known as the Parkroyal Hotel, was a hotel of the Crowne Plaza group. Built in 1988 in the north-west corner of Victoria Square after much public protest, as it cut off the first part of Victoria Street, its construction happened at the same time and enabled the substantial redesign of Victoria Square. The building had New Zealand's largest attrium, and was one of the city's largest hotels. The building suffered significant damage in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and was demolished in April 2012. The Crowne Plaza group has secured a lease in the Forsyth Barr Building at the opposite end of Victoria Square.

British town planner Gordon Stephenson was commissioned to find an appropriate location for major civic assets in the Christchurch Central City; the city had never had a municipally-owned town hall, and it was in need of new civic offices, with the Civic running out of room. His 1962 report recommended the northern part of Victoria Square for the Christchurch Town Hall, and the north-western corner for the new civic offices. This required the closure of the south-eastern section of Victoria Street that ran through Victoria Square, something that was confirmed in Christchurch City Council's 1965 planning document Traffic in a New Zealand City from 1965. The Town Hall opened in 1972.

Under the mayor Ron Guthrey's leadership, Christchurch's elected members had signed off on the new civic offices in March 1970, and Christchurch architecture firm Warren and Mahoney was undertaking the design. The Christchurch City (Reserves) Empowering Act 1971 was passed by Parliament, and that provided an important legal basis for the closure of Victoria Street. Another step, taken much later in 1985, was the process of removing the underlying legal road status from that part of Victoria Street located between the river the Kilmore Street; the remainder had never been designated legal road, but had always been a reserve. Guthrey's mayoralty came to an end in 1972 over the proposed new road through Hagley Park in accordance with the 1965 traffic report, and his successor, Neville Pickering, cancelled the civic offices project and had bought Miller's Department Store building in Tuam Street purchased instead for new offices.