Commercial Building and Setting – 65, 69 Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch

DISTRICT PLAN –LISTED HERITAGE PLACE HERITAGE ASSESSMENT – STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE HERITAGE ITEM NUMBER 1356 COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND SETTING – 65, 69 CAMBRIDGE TERRACE,CHRISTCHURCH PHOTOGRAPH: Amanda Ohs November 2014 HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE Historical and social values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular person, group, organisation, institution, event, phase or activity; the continuity and/or change of a phase or activity; social, historical, traditional, economic, political or other patterns. The commercial building at 65 Cambridge Terrace has high historical and social significance as the offices designed by Sir Miles Warren in 1962 for the Warren & Mahoney partnership. Page 1 At the time, the site was zoned residential which meant that not less than half the building was to be used as a house. The remainder of the building functioned as the offices of what has grown to be one of the most important architecture practices in New Zealand. At the time of its construction in 1963 the Cambridge Terrace residential area predominantly comprised large older houses divided into flats. Subsequent re zoning of the area from residential to commercial in the early 1970s led to the eventual demolition of all the houses on the block and the erection of commercial office buildings along the Cambridge Terrace river frontage. As the first commercial building to be constructed on the block, 65 Cambridge Terrace led the transition of the area from residential to commercial. Warren & Mahoney’s architectural practice was founded by Miles Warren in 1955. Warren sought the assistance of his colleague Maurice Mahoney and in 1958 the partnership of Warren & Mahoney was established. Throughout the 1960s the practice received commissions of increasing complexity and scale. The Christchurch Town Hall commission and its attendant success led to the inevitable expansion of the partnership. Warren & Mahoney offices were later established in Wellington (1979) and Auckland (1986). Sir Miles Warren is the first New Zealander to be knighted for his services to architecture. His work of the 1950s and 1960s – which includes 65 Cambridge Terrace – has been described as characteristic of the best work of his career; it is ordered, coherent, and adjusted to the individual human scale. Athfield Architects – another notable architectural practice - has been a recent tenant at 65 Cambridge Terrace. CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE Cultural and spiritual values that demonstrate or are associated with the distinctive characteristics of a way of life, philosophy, tradition, religion, or other belief, including: the symbolic or commemorative value of the place; significance to Tangata Whenua; and/or associations with an identifiable group and esteemed by this group for its cultural values. 65 Cambridge Terrace has high cultural significance as it embodies the way of life and architectural approach of Sir Miles Warren at the time of its construction. As the architect’s own office and flat, this building can be seen to express his architectural ideals at the time. The building is highly regarded amongst New Zealand architects and architectural historians, as evidenced by architectural awards, and can be seen to epitomise Sir Miles Warren’s work. The building is also associated with the wider Warren & Mahoney practice that has been influential in establishing New Zealand architectural traditions at a local and national level. ARCHITECTURAL AND AESTHETIC SIGNIFICANCE Architectural and aesthetic values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular style, period or designer, design values, form, scale, colour, texture and material of the place. High architectural and aesthetic significance are ascribed to 65 Cambridge Terrace because it is a foremost example of the architecture of its period in New Zealand. This four story concrete block building is characterised by its materials, a clear expression of two bays and the triangular roof forms which form the uppermost storey. Stained timberwork is used for the exterior window frames, doors, bargeboards and beams. The timber beams and projecting concrete beams, along with a variety of shapes and sizes of fenestration articulate the front and rear facades. White painted concrete block, which came to epitomise a particular style of Christchurch style of architecture in the 1960s is used for the exterior envelope. The building has been designed to maximise natural light. Page 2 The building has been in a constant state of adaptation with alterations and additions being carried out as the architectural practice expanded. The building won the New Zealand Institute of Architects silver medal in 1969 at which time the jury commented: “This building is a fascinating, idiosyncratic tour de force. There is however a clear rational planning basis with spaces simply organised around an economical central access. Visually the impact is primarily that of lively roof shapes, the uncluttered well proportioned walls, the frank use of materials and the interplay of volumes and levels”. That the design of the building has endured was recognised in 1995 when the building was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architecture/Resene 25 year award. TECHNOLOGICAL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP SIGNIFICANCE Technological and craftsmanship values that demonstrate or are associated with: the nature and use of materials, finishes and/or technological or constructional methods which were innovative, or of notable quality for the period. 65 Cambridge Terrace has high technological and craftsmanship significance due to the nature and use of the materials and the construction methods for the period. In the Modernist architectural tradition, the materials used are clearly expressed; a structural concrete frame with infill panels of concrete block for the side walls and strong vertical windows in the front, finish the façade of the building. The materials used and craftsmanship show a high standard of quality and attention to detail. CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE Contextual values that demonstrate or are associated with: a relationship to the environment (constructed and natural), a landscape, setting, group, precinct or streetscape; a degree of consistency in terms of type, scale, form, materials, texture, colour, style and/or detail; recognised landmarks and landscape which are recognised and contribute to the unique identity of the environment. 65 Cambridge Terrace and setting have high contextual significance as it is one of a group of adjacent buildings designed by Warren & Mahoney on Cambridge Terrace constructed over a twenty-eight year period between 1962 and 1988: 65 Cambridge Terrace (1962), 59 Cambridge Terrace (1970), 61 Cambridge Terrace (1974) and 69 Cambridge Terrace (1988). Together they represent an intact cluster of Christchurch’s Modernist heritage as well as the work of one firm over nearly three decades. The buildings noted above have common architectural features, forms, materials and scale. They are constructed with a structural concrete frame with infill panels of concrete block for the side walls and windows in the front and rear facing walls. The proportions of the windows tend to be square, highlighted by distinctive opening sashes. Their rooflines have distinctively triangular features as viewed from the Cambridge Terrace frontages. The site has a river outlook across the Avon River corridor which is classed as an important public open space in the City Plan. An early architectural landmark of the river precinct, St. Michael and All Angels Church (William Fitzjohn Crisp, 1872), is located across the river opposite the site. The setting of 65 Cambridge Terrace consists of a designed garden setting at the rear which features a densely planted enclosed courtyard and a reflecting pool. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Page 3 Archaeological or scientific values that demonstrate or are associated with: the potential to provide information through physical or scientific evidence an understanding about social historical, cultural, spiritual, technological or other values of past events, activities, structures or people. The commercial building and setting at 65 Cambridge Terrace has some archaeological significance. Although 65 Cambridge Terrace was constructed in 1963.and existing archaeological evidence may have been disturbed during its construction, pre-1900 human activity in the immediate vicinity of 65 Cambridge Terrace is documented. 65 Cambridge Terrace is located on the banks of Otākaro (Avon River) which was a well known mahinga kai for Waitaha, Ngāti Mamoe and Ngāi Tahu. In the early years of European settlement, the banks of the Avon opposite 65 Cambridge Terrace provided a popular location for swimming and boating. The area was developed for residential purposes in the 1880s. ASSESSMENT STATEMENT The commercial building and setting at 65 Cambridge Terrace have high overall significance to the Christchurch District. 65 Cambridge Terrace has high historical and social significance as the offices designed by Sir Miles Warren in 1962 for the Warren & Mahoney partnership – one of the most important architecture practices in New Zealand. 65 Cambridge Terrace has high cultural significance because of its association with the wider Warren & Mahoney practice that has been so influential in establishing New Zealand architectural traditions at a local and national level. 65 Cambridge Terrace has high architectural and aesthetic significance; it reflects an excellent local interpretation of overseas modernist

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