It was about then that Ben Bridge happened upon it.<\/p>\n
Noah’s Hotel in Christchurch, which has housed many celebrities over the decades, including Princess Diana and Elton John (inset), was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake but is being brought back to life with a $150m rebuild project. Images \/ Supplied \/ NZME<\/p>\n
\u201cI was walking past it with a colleague of mine and thinking, \u2018What on earth is going on?\u2019. Ten years after the earthquake to have that building sort of frozen in time,\u201d says Bridge, from the boardroom of Mainland Capital, of which he is a director.<\/p>\n
He managed to track down the owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really where the formal interests commenced,\u201d Bridge says.<\/p>\n
The attraction to the property was multi-faceted \u2013 beyond the architecture and history. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a single title that ran all the way from the river back through to the cathedral. One of the largest sites, 4800 square metres, in Christchurch,\u201d Bridge says. <\/p>\n
Having spent a bit of time engaging with the offshore owners, Bridge\u2019s Mainland Capital ramped up their interest when the insurance issues were resolved. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe went back through the same channels and said we were interested in acquiring the land and buildings – and the company.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bridge says formal negotiations went on for six months. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd just as we were getting near to the finish line, as often happens in good races, there was some interference from other people who suddenly became aware of the opportunity. But we managed to get it over the line.\u201d <\/p>\n
The spiral staircase, a feature in the original hotel, will be replicated in the new refurbishment. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The cost of that acquisition isn\u2019t clear but the vision for the new chapter in \u201cNoah\u2019s\u201d history is \u2013 Project Ark will deliver the Sheraton to Christchurch in mid-2027. <\/p>\n
That involves a significant investment. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re saying a rough project value of around $150m. But then we\u2019ve also got the supplementary land which spans through to the cathedral – which is quite significant.\u201d <\/p>\n
The future of the site will look a lot like its past. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn a really interesting mirroring of history, if you gave a leading developer that site today as a blank canvas, and you ask them what they would do. They would probably go \u2018the site is suited for a 5-star hotel, a car park building, some high-end retail, some office, maybe some residential would be something that you\u2019d incorporate today,\u201d Bridge says. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut by and large, the use of the site – because it\u2019s such a prime site, would be almost exactly what it was 50 years ago when AMP developed it, which is quite unusual. You think times would change, but on the great sites, what they thought 50 years ago is what we\u2019re thinking today.\u201d <\/p>\n
The mistake that kept it upright <\/p>\n
One of many fascinating features of the building is its internal dimensions and its over-engineered structural strength. That came about as a result of an error. Perhaps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey breached the height limits at the time. The density rules for Christchurch did not allow a structure such as those to be built. So they went to the council and said, \u2018Hey, we want to invest in the site\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bridge says AMP had identified it as the \u201cbest site in Christchurch\u201d at the time. He says the city council agreed to grant permission on the 14-storey height \u2013 with a proviso. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe condition of building to that height and breaching those height limits was that it was built to what effectively would be today called an IL4 [Importance Level 4], building standards. So what you\u2019d use for a hospital or a government building. It was built to enable that if the [Christchurch] hospital went down, it could be converted into a temporary hospital.\u201d <\/p>\n
Christchurch’s former Noah’s Hotel under construction in the early 1970s. The former Midland Club building to the right is still standing. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the doors were double-width to allow stretchers and things to go through it. And it was built to a strength that would allow it to become the emergency response centre for Civil Defence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bridge says in the lead-up to the 1974 Commonwealth Games, authorities were mindful of the potential for a terror threat – similar to that of the 1972 Munich Olympics. <\/p>\n
\u201cVery sensitive to athlete safety, but also kind of wider – not just terrorism, but flood, fire, etc.\u201d <\/p>\n
AMP agreed to the council\u2019s conditions and construction continued. The building\u2019s first role was to house Commonwealth Games officials more than 50 years ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll of that structural comment about the history of the building is the reason why it\u2019s still really sound today,\u201d says Bridge. <\/p>\n
The visitors\u2019 book <\/p>\n
Like its former neighbour (The Clarendon Hotel) before it, Noah\u2019s was the accommodation of choice for big-name visitors to the city. From royal family to rock royalty. <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the number one hotel in the South Island originally, inevitably it got those sort of dignitaries there [to stay at the hotel]. It\u2019s had the Queen, the Shah of Persia, Elton John. It\u2019s had various heads of state. My father, who was a diplomat, used to bring people to stay here,\u201d recalls Bridge.<\/p>\n
Queen Elizabeth II with then Christchurch Mayor Sir Hamish Hay at Noah’s Hotel. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
King Charles and the late Princess Diana were also guests at the hotel. <\/p>\n
Whether or not they signed the official guest book can\u2019t be verified \u2013 because the guest book disappeared after the earthquake. <\/p>\n
Bridge is appealing for it to be returned to where it belongs. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat in itself would be an interesting public campaign to see if in the corner of someone\u2019s garage is sitting that original Noah\u2019s Hotel guest book, because that would make for some interesting reading.\u201d <\/p>\n
TOGO <\/p>\n
In 14 years since the 2011 earthquake, the building has been targeted by graffiti artists. Undoubtedly, the most famous tag is the \u201cTOGO\u201d artwork that faces east on the highest part of the 14-story building. It\u2019s unclear exactly when the enormous tag was spray-painted or how. Google Maps puts it somewhere between August 2015 and May 2017. <\/p>\n
How it was done is even more vague. Bridge knows almost everything about this property \u2013 but the TOGO tag is a mystery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not quite sure what Togo means. I don\u2019t know who did it, but it\u2019s been up there for a hell of a long time, and it\u2019s kind of become part of the quilt work of Cathedral Square, hasn\u2019t it?\u201d <\/p>\n
The east side of the building – with the giant and mysterious TOGO tag. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
He says it\u2019ll be replaced with a 157sq m presidential suite. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure if we\u2019ll call it the Togo suite. It\u2019ll be a shame when it\u2019s covered up.\u201d <\/p>\n
The street artist behind the tag (who goes by the name TOGO) has previously said in a 2020 interview with Cityscape \u201cthese hard-to-reach places are often challenging and difficult. They require a lot of planning and preparation but because of this, will increase an artist\u2019s notoriety. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was more attracted to these dangerous spots and found pleasure in the risk and reward aspect. How far are you willing to go?\u201d said TOGO. <\/p>\n
In terms of what\u2019s involved \u2013 he gave little away. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not much to it. Just hold on tight!\u201d <\/p>\n
Noah\u2019s 2.0 and the Sheraton <\/p>\n
TOGO may not have naming rights for the new presidential suite but there are plans to honour much of the hotel\u2019s past in its future. <\/p>\n
The \u201clid\u201d of the \u201chip flask\u201d will become a rooftop bar. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that bar has a 250-person capacity. It\u2019s largely enclosed, so that means on a cold southerly day, you can still be up there and take advantage of the views,\u201d Bridge says.<\/p>\n
The hotel as it is today. The original facade is being removed to make way for a new heavily glazed frontage that will showcase the building’s trademark curve. Photo \/ George Heard<\/p>\n
\u201cOn a sunny day, it\u2019s got two terraces, one to the north end, which would look over Hagley Park and towards the mountains, and one to the south end, which will look over the city to the Port Hills – depending on which way the wind\u2019s blowing, or alternatively, if there is no wind it is an outdoor experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bridge says the ideal name for the rooftop bar was obvious. <\/p>\n
\u201cVery late in our negotiations with Marriott, the day before we were due to sign the deal, I rang up the president for Asia Pacific, Richard Crawford, and said, \u2018We\u2019ve got one last request\u2019. You could almost feel his eyes rolling back in his head. But he\u2019s a good bloke, Richard. <\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018We want to call the rooftop bar Noah\u2019s\u2019, and he went, \u2018Done, that\u2019s a great idea\u2019. They\u2019ve been really supportive of that connection to history and they understand it,\u201d Bridge says. <\/p>\n
There will be physical tributes as well. While the original facade has been removed and won\u2019t be restored, the new look is strongly derived from the original. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe new facade will be about 66% glass and 33% concrete-looking. So there\u2019ll be more light and more view from the rooms. We\u2019re getting it to look as close as we can to the original facade.\u201d<\/p>\n
A suite at Noah’s from the mid 1970’s. The new decor will take some inspiration from that decade. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
There will also be some internal similarities. The famous Waitangi Room (restaurant) won\u2019t be recreated, but there will be some 1970s-inspired design. <\/p>\n
\u201cSheraton, again, have been really great in terms of coming along for that ride,\u201d Bridge says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got their own particular style that is great and we want to get the benefit of that. But equally, they understand the sort of X factor of connecting to the \u201970s in terms of the interior design.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Waitangi Room was home to a silver service experience at the peak of the hotel’s popularity. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Bridge is glowing in his praise for his heavy-hitting project partners. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, financial business comes first, but ultimately, I think Marriott – just like ourselves and the Russell Property Group and investors – are very passionate about doing something which helps in the regeneration of Christchurch and the South Island,\u201d Bridge says. <\/p>\n
They hope the building that stood through thousands of earthquakes will be bowling guests over in less than two years.<\/p>\n
Mike Thorpe is a senior journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was about then that Ben Bridge happened upon it. Noah’s Hotel in Christchurch, which has housed many…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6755,6742,6751,806,6740,1863,1396,6743,6757,1853,6745,4487,2199,6659,6748,6741,6752,6733,6750,2740,6758,6735,221,78,1456,111,43,139,6734,425,69,1864,6744,6737,766,6756,6739,1629,6747,6738,6753,2249,5436,6749,6278,6759,6754,698,6746,6736,1316],"class_list":["post-5102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-150m","tag-6742","tag-6751","tag-as","tag-avon","tag-back","tag-banks","tag-became","tag-bringing","tag-central","tag-choice","tag-christchurch","tag-city","tag-deadly","tag-dignitaries","tag-doors","tag-earthquake","tag-earthquakehit","tag-february","tag-former","tag-glory","tag-hotel","tag-how","tag-in","tag-mike","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-noahs","tag-now","tag-nz","tag-opened","tag-place","tag-reborn","tag-reports","tag-restoration","tag-river","tag-rock","tag-royalty","tag-sheraton","tag-shut","tag-soon","tag-stars","tag-stayed","tag-superstars","tag-thorpe","tag-undergoing","tag-until","tag-visiting","tag-was","tag-when"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}