In the course of the development of the town site 32 buildings and additions or extensions were erected for Canterbury College. In addition to that, there were also a number of temporary structures created to fulfill immediate needs that were later removed.
Town Site Timeline
20 November 2023
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A beautiful coloured panorama of Canterbury College and Canterbury Museum with the statue of Rolleston at the right.
Building began with the first Chemical Laboratory in 1873, and ended with the final town site alterations in 1966.
BUILT | ORIGINAL PURPOSE | NOTES | ARCHITECT |
1873 | First site on cnr Worcester Street and Rolleston Ave purchased | ||
1876-1877 | Chemical laboratory | Demolished 1917 | B.W. Mountfort |
1876 | Site for Girls High School on cnr Rolleston Ave and Hereford St purchased | ||
1876-1877 | Clock Tower | Later Arts Centre Visitors Centre | B.W. Mountfort |
1876-1878 | Girls High School | Later School of Art | T. Cane |
1878 | Site for Boys High on Worcester Street and site on cnr Worcester and Montreal Streets purchased | ||
1878-1879 | East Wing, Clock Tower | Later Le Cafe | B.W. Mountfort |
1879-1881 | Boys High School | Later Galleria and craft shops | W.B. Armson |
1881-1882 | Great Hall and tower | B.W. Mountfort | |
1882 | Site on Hereford Street purchased | ||
1887-1888 | Classics building | B.W. Mountfort | |
1889 | Mens Common Room? | Demolished 1915 | |
1890-1891 | Mechanical Engineering Lab | B.W. Mountfort | |
1895-1896 | Biological Lab | B.W. Mountfort | |
1901-1902 | Electrical Engineering Lab | Later Southern Ballet | C.J. Mountfort |
1901-1902 | School of Art Additions | Later Annies Wine Bar | S. Hurst Seager |
1902 | Site on Hereford Street purchased | ||
1908 | Boys High School Gymnasium | Later Academy Theatre | Collins and Harman |
1908 | Sections 423 and 424 between Worcester and Hereford Streets purchased | ||
1908-1910 | Chemical Lab | Collins and Harman | |
1912-1913 | Boys High School additions | Collins and Harman | |
1913-1914 | Hydraulics Lab | Collins and Harman | |
1914-1916 | College Library | Later SOFA gallery | Collins and Harman |
1915-1916 | School of Art additions | Collins and Harman | |
1915-1916 | Registrar’s Office | Collins and Harman | |
1915-1916 | Men’s common room | Later Backstage Cafe | Collins and Harman |
1915-1917 | West Block Rolleston Ave | Collins and Harman | |
1915-1917 | Arcades (Cloisters) | S. Hurst Seager | |
1915-1917 | Physics Lab | Collins and Harman | |
1917 | Old Caretakers cottage demolished | ||
1917-1918 | Biological Department | Collins and Harman | |
1920-1923 | School of Engineering extensions | Later the Court Theatre | Collins and Harman |
1926 | Site of Student Union on cnr Hereford and Montreal Streets purchased | ||
1928-1929 | Student Union | Later the Dux de Lux | Collins and Harman |
1947 | Geography pre-fabs constructed | Demolished 1990 | |
1949 | Decision to move to Ilam announced | ||
1953-1954 | East Block | Restored after fire. | Manson, Seward and Stanton |
1954 | Boiler house | Ministry of Works | |
1955-1956 | Student Union extensions | Trengrove, Trengrove and Marshall | |
1956-1957 | First building on Ilam site begins, remodeling Okeover House for School of Art | ||
1956-1957 | Registry extensions | Collins and Son | |
1957-1958 | Conversion of School of Art | Collins and Son | |
1958-1959 | East block repairs | Collins and Son | |
1961 | Conversion of Library to 3 tier stacks | Collins and Son | |
1965 | Registry extensions | Collins and Son | |
1966 | Central site alterations | U of C | |
1973 | UC announces intent to gift town site to the people of Christchurch during centenary celebrations | ||
1975 | Final UC department leaves for Ilam Site |
