Category:Old Government Building, Christchurch

**Old Government Building**
	building in Christchurch, New Zealand
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	Wikipedia
Instance of	historic building;
Location	Christchurch City, Canterbury Region, New Zealand
Architectural style	Palazzo style architecture;
Architect	Joseph Maddison;
Heritage designation	Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing (1984–);
Inception	1913;
	43° 31′ 51.82″ S, 172° 38′ 17.07″ E
Authority file
	Q28792688;
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English: Christchurch's former Government Building was designed by J.C. Maddison, a Christchurch architect who designed many other public and industrial buildings in Christchurch and specialised in the design of freezing works. The building he designed for Cathedral Square was intended to provide a central location for government services in Christchurch. Previously, the various government departments had been housed in separate buildings scattered throughout the city. The proposal to erect the building in Cathedral Square was part of a national public works policy under Sir Joseph Ward's government, which aimed to match the growing population with sufficient government services.

The Government Building opened in 1913 and housed various Government departments for more than seventy years. The last Government department to occupy the building was the Ministry of Works and Development. When they moved, the building remained empty for a number of years and, in 1991, it was threatened with demolition. The Christchurch City Council then purchased the building and sold it to a group of developers planning to conserve and re-use the buildings. Meticulously restored, it is now part of the Heritage Hotel complex.

The building is registered as a Category I heritage item by the NZHPT, with the registration number 301.