A plan showing buildings it was assumed would be retained from the Old University Precinct Feasibility Study Report of 1974.
The Old University Precinct
20 November 2023
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he future of the University was now set, but the fate of the old College buildings was uncertain. The possibility of an arts centre for Christchurch had been proposed in 1970, but at that time there were four potential venues identified. At its centennial celebrations in 1973, the announcement was made that the University had “… as a gesture to the city which had supported it for 100 years, plans to transfer the old site and its buildings to a trust for use as a community arts centre.” How this transfer was to be affected, and more importantly funded, was unclear.
One of the options mooted was for the University to sell the west end of the town site, so that the grander buildings on east end could be preserved. This sale would have included the Boys High School building, one of the earliest constructions on site. The proposal attracted a great number of responses and submissions. One concerned group circulated a petition asking the Council not to sell, with the reminder that “There is more to life than progress which often replaces gracious historical buildings with uninspiring concrete structures.”
Given the interest in the College buildings, the University Council commissioned the Old University Precinct Feasibility Study Report which was completed in July 1974. The purpose of the study was “To establish the feasibility of retaining the five and a half acre block of the Old University Site in one ownership and by a process of rentals collected from a multitude of different users on the site determine its long term viability.”
A plan showing buildings it was assumed would be retained from the Old University Precinct Feasibility Study Report of 1974.
After extensive research and consideration of the submissions, the Report recommended creating an independent trust, rezoning by the City Council, and the preservation of the original features of the permanent buildings. They recognized that “The benefits of these multiple uses in the Old University Precinct are immense to education, welfare, arts, cultural and community intercourse in the river precinct in Christchurch and throughout Canterbury.” By August 1974, the Council had announced its decision to formalize the recommendations in the report, and the buildings of Canterbury College began their journey towards becoming the Arts Centre.
To find out more about the development of the Arts Centre, and the recent history of the buildings of the town site, visit The Arts Centre online.
The Illustrated Guide to the University in 1976 still featured images of the original town site buildings.
