This thread is for people to post nice buildings which have been demolished in the name of 'progress' so others may bask in their now non-existant glory. So, here goes:

I was reading a book called Murihiku: The Southland Story recently, and spotted an old photograph (not the pic below, which is a...what exactly is it? Paint?) of the old Invercargill Post Office and Telegraph Exchange which sadly no longer stands:

What was:

http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/invercargill-po-1908.png

and what's there now:

http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/3860/menziesbuildingkb5.jpg

Hooray for bland office buildings.

Wow that's an amazing building. I don't have photos, but I know the building on the corner of Victoria and Queen Street above where the Starbucks is was at one point a nice 19th century building, but got replaced by a horrific 1960s office building.

Actually.... a lot of Queen Street is that same story :(

Urban planners in the 60s and 70s were total morons and I want to invent a time machine so I can go back and give them a good swift kick in the nuts.

That's very true, although looking at many of the most recent suburbs of Auckland you could argue that things haven't got much better.

In the 60s and 70s the whole NZ 'cultural cringe' meant that we didn't really value our heritage, so therefore there wasn't really that much effort to save those buildings.

We weren't alone though. New York demolished the incredible Pennsylvania Station to build Madison Square Garden - one of the biggest heritage building tragedies.

Maybe in 50 years time we'll look back on ugly 60s/70s office buildings and think they're beautiful examples of old architecture...but I hope not. I can't imagine the people in the 60s knocking down buildings from the 1800s/early 1900s thought they were ugly. That would be interesting to know, though, what they thought at the time they commited their aesthetic crimes.

All modernisation..... newer is better..... that was the thinking.

Thank Le Corbusier. He wanted to bulldoze central Paris and replace it with commie blocks after all.

Best building on the outside would surely have been the old Seacliff Lunatic Asylum near Dunedin, at the time, it was the largest building in NZ.

Sadly it too has been demolished except for a few out-buildings.

Best building on the outside would surely have been the old Seacliff Lunatic Asylum near Dunedin, at the time, it was the largest building in NZ.

Sadly it too has been demolished except for a few out-buildings.

Agreed:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/2-002563seacliff.jpg

Easily Seacliff Mental Hospital.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seacliff_Mental_Hospital

I tell my friends about this place and they cannot believe it is in New Zealand. I visited the old ruins of this site last year and it's incredible. Some of the brickwork is still there. It's now called the Truby King reserve. There is still an old sign that says "enchanted forest" which leads down a beautiful garden. My mother who was a psychiatric nurse won't go near Seacliff now because she says it's haunted. It did feel pretty creepy when I visited.

It has a beautiful outlook over the sea on a nice day, I'd imagine it could get pretty cold at the site on a bad day.

The outlook is also incredible, over the sea with a railway stop on the way. There is now a backpackers called the "asylum" in the old horse stables.

Yes Seacliff must have been an amazing structure; the asylum used to have a population of over 1300 -- it was really more of a small town.

The Dunedin Stock Exchange is another building that shouldn't have gone ...
Will try and find a photo I can post; link below to National Library image:

http://timeframes.natlib.govt.nz/logicrouter/servlet/LogicRouter?PAGE=object&OUTPUTXSL=object.xslt&pm_RC=REPO02DB&pm_OI=14506&pm_GT=Y&pm_IAC=Y&api_1=GET_OBJECT_XML&num_result=11&Object_Layout=viewimage_object

Easily Seacliff Mental Hospital.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seacliff_Mental_Hospital

I tell my friends about this place and they cannot believe it is in New Zealand. I visited the old ruins of this site last year and it's incredible. Some of the brickwork is still there. It's now called the Truby King reserve. There is still an old sign that says "enchanted forest" which leads down a beautiful garden. My mother who was a psychiatric nurse won't go near Seacliff now because she says it's haunted. It did feel pretty creepy when I visited.

It has a beautiful outlook over the sea on a nice day, I'd imagine it could get pretty cold at the site on a bad day.

The outlook is also incredible, over the sea with a railway stop on the way. There is now a backpackers called the "asylum" in the old horse stables.

Huh? I drove past the site a few months ago and all I could see apart from some of the old stable buildings was a sign on the gate that tresspasers will be prosecuted so I didn't go any further.

Are you saying that there are still some remains of the building? I'd love to drop by to see it.

sure there are, I went, i'll post photos of them.

It was pretty creepy the day I went, it was so quiet, but some birds were making a horrible noise.

Go into the Truby King reserve next to the backpackers. The old foundations are still there along with the brickwork. It must have been incredible. It looks like a few tennis courts now, but it's actually foundations. I'm forever gobsmacked at the thing and when I tell my friends about it, they look at me as if I deserved to be locked up in it because they don't believe it was really there.

sure there are, I went, i'll post photos of them.

It was pretty creepy the day I went, it was so quiet, but some birds were making a horrible noise.

Go into the Truby King reserve next to the backpackers. The old foundations are still there along with the brickwork. It must have been incredible. It looks like a few tennis courts now, but it's actually foundations. I'm forever gobsmacked at the thing and when I tell my friends about it, they look at me as if I deserved to be locked up in it because they don't believe it was really there.

ooooh yes please.... hope you got lots of pickies of this.

Photos posted below

Use something like photobucket.

www.photobucket.com

NZ is already preserving 1960s-70s brutalism. There was a protection order on the Auckland University Student Centre, a big butt ugly concrete thing.

Seacliff Mental Asylum ruins:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3195395605_8ac673f92d_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3381/3196237226_d132845e7f_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3196234028_21da838271_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3195384397_e5cd836241_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/3196222044_2b8c7d9029_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3195372223_94ac7f6515_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3195369031_2f6bfdf55e_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/3195366195_a93e89489a_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3397/3195375235_87b9d20551_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/3196206562_cd3d0f740c_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3196285936_980d154dcc_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3416/3195405527_0840426560_b_d.jpg

Kuriheka Estate, North Otago, original estate of Todd Family, richest family in NZ. Gotta love it ! This estate is filled with World War I memorabillia and is still subsidised by the Todd Family. It is a tourist operation about 100km north of Dunedin

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/3195438403_8cf80f8449_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3196341870_772f9b38a6_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3195436215_20f6920d78_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/3195431133_2e4ac58f53_o_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3195430771_21876c1549_o_d.jpg

More homesteads in beautiful North Otago, old wealthy aristocratic family estates all built in 1800s complete with peasants (the human kind, not to be confused with the bird pheasant).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3356/3195430273_ea3e206346_o_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/3196274392_2b29958efd_b_d.jpg

Flourmill in North Otago, Ngapara I think, it still produces flour which is sold in Oamaru

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3196269444_27b091ab21_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3196271724_7bf4214bee_b_d.jpg

local carwrecking yard in Oamaru, they can be picky about historic preservation in Oamaru !

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3196257706_b46187a857_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3454/3195410481_281e65be61_b_d.jpg

Fantatstic Pics Steve - Thanks :banana:

You could think you are in Scotland with some of those scences.

Seacliffe site is just a CRIME!

The Todd Family home is just amazing.

I'd love to see more pictures of Oamaru. I think it would need it's own thread though.

Alot of those places would send shivers up most NZers spines and most NZers wouldn't know they exist.

Seacliff gave me the absolute creeps.

North Otago is one of the best parts of NZ. Sir Robert Jones says Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ.

Those old family estates are a dime a dozen in North Otago, they were celebrated war vets or Aristocrats from England and they had a view that NZ was going to be just like home, including the class system. Campbells estate shown as the castle above comes with it's own town for 500 odd peasants.

In North Otago in the late 1800's, it was the town vs country with the peasants living in Oamaru and gentry in the country. Some of these houses come with their own deer parks (for shooting deer in or chasing foxes). All the public buildings in Oamaru were paid for by Gentry from the country, so they were beautiful and expensive. All the rest of the buildings in Oamaru are slums for the poor mostly Catholics who were the labour.

Beautiful, just beautiful. Outside every estate they planted one Oak tree each peasant killed in World War I. So as you drive down each country road, you can could how many lives were lost from each estate and this is also done in the main rd of Oamaru.

Sending the peasants to World War I was a marketing exercise by the elite whose markets for lamb was England. The first shipment of frozen lamb for export in NZ was made in North Otago.

More North Otago scenes:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3512/3196576884_728b639b40_b_d.jpg

And some paintings of North Otago scenery by my father. He's an artist, if you're interested in any of his work get in touch.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/3195748067_12e6059dbe_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3395/3195744445_f485dbaa55_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3532/3196590060_8a28045a73_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/3196584708_18f9ea47e9_b_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3478/3195742691_db17a2e752_b_d.jpg

Alot of those places would send shivers up most NZers spines and most NZers wouldn't know they exist.

Seacliff gave me the absolute creeps.

North Otago is one of the best parts of NZ. Sir Robert Jones says Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ.

Those old family estates are a dime a dozen in North Otago, they were celebrated war vets or Aristocrats from England and they had a view that NZ was going to be just like home, including the class system. Campbells estate shown as the castle above comes with it's own town for 500 odd peasants.

In North Otago in the late 1800's, it was the town vs country with the peasants living in Oamaru and gentry in the country. Some of these houses come with their own deer parks (for shooting deer in or chasing foxes). All the public buildings in Oamaru were paid for by Gentry from the country, so they were beautiful and expensive. All the rest of the buildings in Oamaru are slums for the poor mostly Catholics who were the labour.

Beautiful, just beautiful. Outside every estate they planted one Oak tree each peasant killed in World War I. So as you drive down each country road, you can could how many lives were lost from each estate and this is also done in the main rd of Oamaru.

Sending the peasants to World War I was a marketing exercise by the elite whose markets for lamb was England. The first shipment of frozen lamb for export in NZ was made in North Otago.

Families and friends of mine throughout North Otago with 'ancestral' homes, farm holdings and stations would probably not see their local history in such cartoon terms, and neither would I - nor associates in Oamaru itself. An ounce of truth and some rather shallow summations here. Makes a good story but that's about it.

The Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1884, was designed by leading colonial architect Robert A Lawson. Built on unstable land, it became unsafe leading to its demolition. This beggared Lawson's career in Otago, and as a consequence he moved Melbourne to continue in practice. He eventually returned to NZ. The Salmond Family of Dunedin hold many of his archives, items of which are likely to be made privately available to NZIA Southern's centennial "100+" exhibition, to be held at Otago Museum from 24 April this year. Further, independently of the exhibition, Lawson's biography will be drafted for publication this year or following.

In these activities, more images of outstanding "lost" buildings will feature.

The exhibition celebrates Otago-Southland based architects and architecture from 1907 to now, and beyond... Exhibition design is now under way and media releases for the exhibition are in preparation.

Families and friends of mine throughout North Otago with 'ancestral' homes, farm holdings and stations would probably not see their local history in such cartoon terms, and neither would I - nor associates in Oamaru itself. An ounce of truth and some rather shallow summations here. Makes a good story but that's about it.

I don't think Steve was making light out of anything he has said Vilder. Perhaps you can enlighten us with some more in depth history and a ton of truth about this area and it's wonderful buildings.........

I really appreciate SJ's pictures and that he is showing us the beauty of the south of the South Island - and also al the work that Bob and Dunedin are doing in keeping the home fire in Dunedin burning. The deep south has been neglected for to long here.

Sorry if I got the facts wrong Vilder, that's the story people told me !

Thanks for the pics SJ. Oamaru does indeed have some fantastic old buildings - particularly in one area in the southern part of town if I remember correctly.

Historic industrial buildings have really grown on me in recent times. I used to just think they were ugly, but (that flour mill for example) while they may not be the prettiest things ever, they seem to link us with the past even more than old residential building do. At least in my opinion.

Oamaru has some awesome architecture, especially the Oamaru stone stuff, and unlike many places, most of it still remains (which kinda disqualifies much of it from this thread I guess lol) which is really great.

I think it's nice having a thread to celebrate New Zealand's built heritage (where it remains) or mourn the loss of heritage (where it has been demolished). I'm fascinated by many of these photos. If people have more (particularly of Oamaru as I haven't been there since I was 12) it would be great to see them.

Alot of those places would send shivers up most NZers spines and most NZers wouldn't know they exist.

Seacliff gave me the absolute creeps.

North Otago is one of the best parts of NZ. Sir Robert Jones says Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ.

Those old family estates are a dime a dozen in North Otago, they were celebrated war vets or Aristocrats from England and they had a view that NZ was going to be just like home, including the class system. Campbells estate shown as the castle above comes with it's own town for 500 odd peasants.

In North Otago in the late 1800's, it was the town vs country with the peasants living in Oamaru and gentry in the country. Some of these houses come with their own deer parks (for shooting deer in or chasing foxes). All the public buildings in Oamaru were paid for by Gentry from the country, so they were beautiful and expensive. All the rest of the buildings in Oamaru are slums for the poor mostly Catholics who were the labour.

Beautiful, just beautiful. Outside every estate they planted one Oak tree each peasant killed in World War I. So as you drive down each country road, you can could how many lives were lost from each estate and this is also done in the main rd of Oamaru.

Sending the peasants to World War I was a marketing exercise by the elite whose markets for lamb was England. The first shipment of frozen lamb for export in NZ was made in North Otago.

Sir Robert Jones is right.
The Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ
That's where you will find the best people in NZ as well

Hey good photos. Never even knew the place existed.


Also nice to see all the Stadium Supporters venture into other threads!

Hey good photos. Never even knew the place existed.


Also nice to see all the Stadium Supporters venture into other threads!

Lol do you mean Seacliff mental hospital, or Oamaru?

Seacliff has the same architectural body language as Glenmark had. Step gables etc.

Found an old Invercargill photo recently. Massive travesty:

1910
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/2603488262_8e2016897c.jpg

2010
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/5115/invcrescent.png

Looking at it, 3rd from right appears to have survived. Likewise the building that is now blue (2nd from left). The building on the far left is actually another historic building now, actually nicer than the original.

I'm really annoyed about the centre one though; what a beautiful building replaced with some disgusting single-story 80s piece of crap. Also the one on the corner (nearest camera)...though it appears the underlying structure is still there and some wanker just 'updated' the facade.

The buildings in the 1910 photo on Leven St (marked in the google photo) are all gone, including the big 6 story one on the far right =(