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Press, 26 February 1977, Page 4

By lunchtime today these two buildings on the south corner of Hereford Street and Oxford Terrace will be a pile of rubble. Demolition began at 4 r.m. today so that the demolition company, Musgrove Brothers, Ltd, could use a crane with a ball and chain for the demolition. They expect to spend most of next week taking rubble from the site. Both buildings are owned by the Phoenix Assurance

Company of New Zealand. Ltd, and construction on a new 7 seven-storey, 3600 sq. m building for the company will begin on April 1. The site of the building on the corner, the Victoria Building, which was constructed in 1905, has a vp.ried history. From 1854 to 1866, the “Standard” newspaper had its offices on the site, and then that building became the Standard Hotel, until it burned down in 1869. A taxider-

mist’s shop and lawyers’ offices occupied the site until the construction of the Victoria Building. The three storey building next to it, commonly called Hamilton’s Building, was built by Hamilton and Hamilton, sharebrokers, in 1926. It housed tha.t firm, now Hamilton, Hindin, Green and Company, until 1958, as well as legal and accounting firms. Constructed by R. C. Jamieson. Ltd, and de-

signed by the noted architect Cecil Wood, the building was designed for five storeys, and had a bolt-on roof so it could be extended. It was also the first building in Christchurch to have central heating, imported from America,, and had an Oamaru stone front. Brick and concrete was used in the construction of both buildings.