Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch

{{Short description|Four-star hotel in the centre of Christchurch in New Zealand}}

{{Infobox building

| name = Hotel Grand Chancellor

| alternate_names = Grand Chancellor Hotel

| image = Hotel Grand Chancellor in 2010.jpg

| caption = Hotel Grand Chancellor in 2010

| location = Christchurch Central, New Zealand

| coordinates =

| years_built =

| completion_date = 1986

| demolition_date = 2012

| owner = Grand Hotels International

| building_type = Commercial

| height = 85 meters

| main_contractor = Forbes Construction

| renovation_date = 1995

| ren_firm = Fletchers Construction

| developer = Don Forbes

}}

The Hotel Grand Chancellor (also known as the Grand Chancellor Hotel) was a major four-star hotel in the centre of Christchurch in New Zealand, one of eleven Hotel Grand Chancellor establishments across Australasia. Until 2010, it was the city's tallest building standing at {{convert|85|m}} and 21 storeys,{{cite web|title=Hotel Grand Chancellor|url=http://www.emporis.com/building/hotelgrandchancellor-christchurch-newzealand|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729034724/http://www.emporis.com/building/hotelgrandchancellor-christchurch-newzealand|url-status=usurped|archive-date=29 July 2012|publisher=Emporis GmbH|access-date=14 September 2012}}{{cite web |date=9 March 2012 |orig-date=2012-01-17 |title=Hotel Grand Chancellor hearing: Summary for the hearing |url=https://canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz/documents-by-key/20120117.2097/%24file/BUI.CAS161.0047.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250204215553/https://canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz/documents-by-key/20120117.2097/$file/BUI.CAS161.0047.pdf |archive-date=4 February 2025 |access-date=23 February 2025 |website= |publisher=Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission}} until it was overtaken by the {{convert|86.5|m}} tall Pacific Tower.{{cite web|title=Christchurch's tallest buildings – Top 20|url=http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings-christchurch-newzealand|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031061903/http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings-christchurch-newzealand|url-status=usurped|archive-date=31 October 2013|publisher=Emporis GmbH|access-date=14 September 2012}}

The Hotel Grand Chancellor was built in 1986 for office use by Forbes Construction. In 1995 it was converted to a hotel by Fletchers Construction with 15 floors of hotel accommodation, and 12 floors of car parking, also housing conference facilities for businesses.

The building was severely damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, causing a visible lean on the south-east corner of the building. The fragile state of the structure created challenges during the search and rescue effort, with risk of collapse threatening City Mall and the surrounding area.

Demolition work began in November 2011, using a complicated deconstruction method starting from the roof and working down. Initial plans to rebuild the hotel on the same site were scrapped in 2014, and the original site was repurposed for retail space. In 2019, Grand Central announced plans to build a new, smaller hotel in a different part of the city.

Construction and design

The Hotel Grand Chancellor building was originally developed as an office tower by Don Forbes in 1986. It was constructed using reinforced concrete.

In 1995, the tower was bought by Singapore-based Grand Hotels International, and was refitted as a hotel. It included 176 rooms and a carpark.{{Cite web |last=Schouten |first=Hank |date=2 March 2011 |title=Strengthening of leaning Christchurch hotel begins |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4720023/Strengthening-of-leaning-Christchurch-hotel-begins |access-date=23 February 2025 |website=Stuff }}{{Cite web |date=23 February 2011 |title=Christchurch earthquake: Wrecker's tip for leaning tower |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch-earthquake-wreckers-tip-for-leaning-tower/2HXAIDHMY5LQSTJGQV4RSD67QA/ |access-date=23 February 2025 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}

Christchurch earthquakes

File:Grand Chancellor-2.jpg

The hotel survived the September 2010 earthquake and reopened shortly after, but was badly damaged by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake five months later.

The collapse of a key supporting shear wall "D5-6" located in the south-east corner of the building led to the visible leaning of the building to one side. It also contributed to the staircases (above level 14) collapsing.{{cite web |url=https://canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz/documents-by-key/20120215.3041/$file/BUI.VAR.0056.pdf |title=Structural Performance of Christchurch CBD Buildings in the 22 February 2011 Aftershock |publisher=New Zealand Department of Building and Housing}} The southeast corner had dropped 800mm, putting the tower on an estimated 1.3 meter lean.{{Cite web |title=Grand Chancellor Earthquake Damage · Ward Demolition |url=https://www.ward-demolition.co.nz/grand-chancellor |access-date=23 February 2025 |website=Ward Demolition |language=en-NZ}} Investigations found the building had vertical and horizontal irregularities and the failed shear wall was too slender; an initial inquiry by the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission questioned whether the structure failed to meet 1980s building standards.

Above the 14th floor, 36 people were trapped and spent several hours in the damaged building during a series of large aftershocks, before being all successfully rescued.{{cite web |title="Help is on the Way" |url=https://www.primetv.co.nz/help-is-on-the-way-catchup |access-date=23 February 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Mulligan |first1=Jesse |title=Help Is On The Way: TV doco remembers the 2011 Christchurch earthquake |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018735218/help-is-on-the-way-tv-doco-remembers-the-2011-christchurch-earthquake |access-date=23 February 2020 |date=21 February 2020}}

Fear that the building would totally collapse hampered search and rescue missions in the vicinity, and also raised concerns about how to safely demolish the tower if it remained standing.{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708226 |title=Hotel Grand Chancellor on verge of collapse |date=23 February 2011 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=3 October 2011}}{{Cite web |last=Gibson |first=Anne |last2=Cheng |first2=Derek |last3=Tapaleao |first3=Vaimoana |date=24 February 2011 |title=Christchurch earthquake: Terror on top of tallest building set to collapse |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch-earthquake-terror-on-top-of-tallest-building-set-to-collapse/ANLDMPCNAU2QYXE4YQWDZXFE3I/ |access-date=23 February 2025 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}} The building was eventually stabilised using steel jackets wrapped around damaged columns and concrete pads to support the structure. On 4 March it was decided the building would be demolished over the following six months using a complicated deconstruction processes from the top downwards.{{cite news

|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4730119/Christchurch-earthquake-Demolitions-key-to-CBD-access

|title=Christchurch earthquake: Demolitions key to CBD access

|author=Hartevelt, John

|date=5 March 2011

|access-date=7 March 2011

|publisher=stuff.co.nz

}} Updated The roof of the hotel was removed in early November 2011. A protective fence was built around the building to catch debris from the demolition of the concrete frame, which began on January 2012.{{cite news

|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/6039214/Hotels-roof-is-off-now-just-28-floors-of-concrete-to-go

|title=Hotel's roof is off – now just 28 floors of concrete to go

|date=26 November 2011

|access-date=28 November 2011

|publisher=stuff.co.nz

}} The project was undertaken by Ward Demolition.

Rebuild

The Grand Hotels International, owners of the former Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch gained city council approval to rebuild on the site. The new hotel would have been on base isolators at {{convert|50|m}} high and have 12 floors in the hotel and 5-floor office block in the front. The new design was from Warren and Mahoney architects and was to be built by Fletcher Construction, and finished by 2015.{{cite news |last=McDonald |first=Liz |title=12-storey building gets go-ahead |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/9198916/12-storey-building-gets-go-ahead |access-date=29 September 2013 |newspaper=The Press |date=23 September 2013}}

In April 2014, it was announced that the hotel would not be rebuilt on its original site, and would be replaced by shops and offices instead. The Grand Hotels International group expressed interest in building the hotel on a different site in the city.{{cite news|last=McDonald|first=Liz|title=New plans for Hotel Grand Chancellor site|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9956163/New-plans-for-Hotel-Grand-Chancellor-site|access-date=18 April 2014|newspaper=Stuff |date=18 April 2014}}

In September 2019, Grand Central confirmed that a replacement hotel would be on a new site on the southwest corner of Manchester and Armagh streets.{{cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Liz |title=Grand Chancellor confirms site for new hotel in central Christchurch |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/115705816/grand-chancellor-confirms-site-for-new-hotel-in-central-christchurch |access-date=23 February 2020 |date=11 September 2019}}

In April 2025, G2 Studio, the architect for the new hotel, released a render showing the proposed building in its new site. It will be a 3–4 star hotel, will be on the corner of Manchester and Armagh streets, and is in the resource consent phase.{{Cite web |title=Hotel Grand Chancellor |url= https://www.gtwostudio.com/projects/hotel-grand-chancellor |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=G2 Studio |language=en-NZ}}

Legacy

As one of the biggest buildings in Christchurch at the time, and due to the dramatic visual of the tower leaning, the Hotel Grand Chancellor became a widely published subject of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Kerry |date=13 February 2020 |title=Help Is On The Way tells the story of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake hotel rescue |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/tv-guide/119435194/help-is-on-the-way-tells-the-story-of-christchurch-earthquake-hotel-rescue |access-date=23 February 2025 |website=Stuff }}

Pieces of twisted steel rod from the building have been preserved by Canterbury Museum as part of their earthquake collection.{{Cite web |title=Steel Rod: Hotel Grand Chancellor |url=https://collection.canterburymuseum.com/objects/654882/steel-rod-hotel-grand-chancellor |access-date=23 February 2025 |website=Canterbury Museum Collection Online |language=en}}

In February 2020, Prime TV debuted Help Is On The Way, a documentary about the tower and the rescue effort.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110221132117/http://www.christchurchnz.com/accommodation/listings/hotel-grand-chancellor-christchurch.aspx Christchurchnz.com HGC page]
[http://www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Reports/quake-structural-performance-hotel-grand-chancellor.pdf Department of Building and Housing Report on the Structural Performance of the Hotel Grand Chancellor (PDF 15.4 MB, 87 pages)]
[http://www.ceismic.org.nz/search?q=grand+chancellor#page2 Related photos etc. at the Canterbury Earthquake Digital Archive]

{{s-ttl | title = Tallest building in Christchurch |years=1986–2010}}

{{Coord|-43.5328|172.6390|region:NZ_type:landmark|display=title}}

Category:Grand Hotels International

Category:Buildings and structures demolished as a result of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2012

Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1986

Category:1986 establishments in New Zealand

Category:2011 disestablishments in New Zealand

Category:Skyscrapers in Christchurch

Category:Defunct hotels in New Zealand

Category:1980s architecture in New Zealand

Category:Hotels in Christchurch