Business South August 2020

88 | Volume 29 | Issue 4 businesssouth Proud to be involved with Box112 on another central Christchurch development “It will be quite special to be right in the heart of the city where guests can easily walk straight into the retail precinct and all around town and feel more engaged with the city’s art given that local artists are profiled in the building.” DEVELOPMENT » Box 112 - Muse Art Hotel New lease of life for office building The Muse Art Hotel takes pride of place on its central Christchurch site. Richard Loader I n the heart of a city reborn, a once loved treasure has been reinvigorated and carefully repurposed as The Muse Art Hotel, accented by a touch of homegrown Canterbury art. Despite the current Covid-19 travel restrictions, and the impact on international tourism, the stylish hotel, operated by Sarin Group, is now open for business bringing a new chapter to the building’s history. Retaining the splendour of its mid-century architecture, the eight-storey building on the corner of Manchester and High Street in Christchurch city was originally the Canterbury Terminating Building Society’s headquarters. Designed by acclaimed Canterbury architect Peter Beaven and built between 1957-1960 it was the first large-scale office building to be built in Christchurch following the Second World War. Damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes, the building was bought by PL Manchester Ltd, a com- pany jointly owned by investment company Box 112 and other private investors. Box 112 has previously restored a number of Christchurch’s landmark historic buildings, includ- ing Caffe Roma, with other restorations in develop- ment, including the 1920’s Public Trust Offices on Oxford Terrace. James Stringer, Box 112 Associate says a significant amount of structural strengthening was required to bring the building up to 100% of NBS. “We were provided a grant of $900,000 from Christchurch City Council’s central city landmark heritage fund to help strengthen and preserve the building. “We see the project as a partnership with the council to complete the work to a very high stand- ard, especially the preservation of the key heritage features.” Original features, including the staircase with original timber balustrades, rooftop terrace with angled railings and fully glazed walls remain intact, with the characteristic grid-style windows present- ing strong symmetry highlighted by uniform bronze panellings that gleam in the sun. The hotel, has 40 upscale 4.5 star boutique hotel rooms occupying floors 1 to– 5 tastefully fitted out in mid-century style furniture, in keeping with the hotel’s architecture. The reception lobby, along with a cafe serving breakfast and lunch offerings, occupy the ground floor, while floors 6 and 7 have been refurbished as rooftop restaurant and cocktail bar with outside deck presenting views of New Brighton on one side and Christchurch City and the Alps on the other. Tom Newfield, who also has Welles Street bar and Earl Restaurant, is running these hospitality offerings. Retaining as much of the original fabric of the building as possible, the hotel’s boutique look and feel has been enhanced by integrating the work of five local artists in each of the five floors, giving them a unique theme that flows into each of the floor’s rooms. “The market is likely to be guests seeking a more authentic experience rather than a branded hotel. “It will be quite special to be right in the heart of the city where guests can easily walk straight into the retail precinct and all around town and feel more engaged with the city’s art given that local artists are profiled in the building.” With the hotel just opened James says it is always a proud moment when a building like The Muse has been completed. “Taking the project from inception when it’s normally in a fairly poor state and seeing it right through to completion is a great feeling - but seeing the businesses thrive from the refurbishment is a big part of achievement.”