Wharetiki House
| Wharetiki House | |
|---|---|
Wharetiki House in March 2011
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| General information | |
| Type | Residential, converted to a pre-school |
| Location | Christchurch Central City |
| Address | 854 Colombo Street |
| Town or city | Christchurch |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°31′26″S 172°38′13″E / 43.52402°S 172.63697°E |
| Completed | 1904 |
| Demolished | 21 July 2011 |
| Client | Matthew Barnett |
| Owner | David Hampton |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | two |
| Official name | Wharetiki |
| Designated | 25 June 2004 |
| Reference no. | 7551 |
| References | |
| "Wharetiki". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. | |
Wharetiki, for some time known as Glenfell House, was an Edwardian timber dwelling in Colombo Street, Christchurch in New Zealand. Built in 1904 for businessman and philanthropist Matthew Barnett, it was damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. After the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority ordered the demolition of the Category II heritage building registered by Heritage New Zealand, it was the first court challenge of CERA's post earthquake powers. In July 2011, the High Court decided in the authority's favour and the building was demolished the following day.
Matthew Frank Barnett (1859–1935) was a successful bookmaker from Christchurch. He ran his betting business with his friend Peter Grant.
In July 1901, Barnett bought two adjoining parcels of land (Lot 3 & 4, Deposited Plan 1147) from Henry Layton Bowker. The overall property was roughly square and fronted onto Colombo and Salisbury Streets, a location in the north of the Christchurch Central City. According to records held by the valuation department, construction of the house started in 1902. The house was built on Lot 3 of the property (the northern section), and Lot 4, facing Salisbury Street, had a garage and a bowling green. Construction was completed in 1904. The house was connected to the city drains in April 1904, but it was not until 1923 that electricity was supplied to the building. Water came initially from an artesian well on the property.
It is not known with certainty who the architect was, but evidence points towards Robert England (1863–1908). At the time, architectural pattern books were common, but the Wharetiki design has not been found. England, on the other hand, has designed houses of similar style, most importantly for Barnett's friend and business partner Grant, who in about 1906 had Westhaven Eventide Home built at 901 Colombo Street, i.e. in the immediate neighbourhood. Closer to Art Nouveau in style than the Arts and Craft style of Wharetiki, it nevertheless had the same style turret incorporated into the design.
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Wikipedia