A.M.P. Building To Be Demolished Soon

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32395, 7 September 1970, Page 14

A.M.P. Building To Be Demolished Soon

The four-storey A.M.P. building in Cathedral Square will be demolished, the work to begin next Friday. The building contains between 8000 and 9000 tons of concrete, brick, and steel.

Mr B. Ryan, of the demolition contractors, Ryan Brothers, said last evening that the work would take about three weeks. It would take another 10 days to make a temporary car park on the site.

He said that the Christchurch Transport Board’s building, also’ in the Square, would be demolished, the

work to start in a fortnight. It would take about a fortnight to demolish that building, he said. About 30 men would be engaged in the demolition of the A.M.P. building, he said. A three-storey annex to the main building, running off Club Lane, would be demolished first This would give room to get machinery into the A.M.P. building. The fourth floor of the A.M.P. building was built of concrete, and contained several steel girders, each weighing three to four tons, he said. The north wail of the ! building running next to the building formerly owned by Fletcher Humphreys, would be left standing and would have to be secured to the Fletcher Humphreys building; with steel tie-backs.

Mr Ryan said a lot of work, on the fourth floor in particular, would have to be done by hand, and it would be about a fortnight after work started before much could be seen from the street.

Scaffolding has already been erected on the outside walls in Worcester Street and the Square. Scaffolding will also be put on the roof of Devon Chambers, immediately west of the A.M.P. building, in Worcester Street, and the west wall of the A.M.P. building would be winched inwards. “It will be a very heavy

job, with a lot of work to be done by hand. Getting into the building from Club Lane by demolishing the three-storey building first will mean less interference with traffic in Worcester Street and the Square," Mr Ryan said. “Only jackhammers will be used in the first week, then we w.ll be able to get a big crane and heavy machinery in.”

He said that the building had a big basement, and this would be filled level and the site made into a temporary car park.