Hornby Clocktower

Hornby Clocktower
The Hornby Clocktower in 2011
Alternative names	Hornby Clock Tower
General information
Location	Hornby, New Zealand
Coordinates	43°32′36″S 172°31′40″E / 43.54346°S 172.52769°E / -43.54346; 172.52769
Year(s) built	1960s
Renovated	2010
Demolished	August - October 2014
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Don Donnithorne
Renovating team
Renovating firm	Wilson and Hill Architects
Awards and prizes	2011 Canterbury Architecture Award in Commercial Architecture

The Hornby Clocktower (also known as the Hornby Clock Tower or simply as the clock tower to local residents) was an iconic Christchurch building, situated in the suburb of Hornby on New Zealand State Highway 1. It marked the southern entrance to Christchurch for over 50 years.^[1]

The building was one of the tallest non-industrial structures in Hornby, a primarily low-rise area of Christchurch. Designed in the 1960s by architect Don Donnithorne, it was originally home to the Central Canterbury Electric Power Board.

In the late 2000s the building was redesigned by architectural firm Wilson and Hill, a project managed by Epoch Property, winning the 2011 Canterbury Architecture Award for best commercial building. The new design was intended to modernise the building, with five floors of leased office space and a ground floor used for retail. It shared its location with a strip mall which was not attached to the tower.

Following the full refurbishment, much of the tower went unused. Only the ground floor was leased to tenants, in part due to delays imposed by the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. A few months later, the building was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, and was permanently closed by December.

Epoch Property claimed that repairs would not be financially viable, and proceeded with demolition in 2014. The entire tower structure was removed by October, however the strip mall survived. The land was reused to build a Carl's Jr. fast food restaurant.