Plato Creative Photographs

Photographs of the Cranmer Court building taken by Lisa Plato of Plato Creative, a Christchurch-based advertising and design firm - www.platocreative.co.nz. From March 2008 to November 2009 they occupied Unit 39 of the Cranmer Court building, on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. Lisa took several photographs of the building during that time.
The Cranmer Court building was designed by Christchurch architect Samuel C. Farr to house Christchurch Normal School, which opened in 1876. Its Gothic Revival style was typical of educational facilities in the Victorian era. In 1981 the building was converted to house apartments and a restaurant.
The Cranmer Court building was badly damaged in the 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 earthquakes and was demolished in November 2012. Its demolition was highly controversial due to the building's historic value as one of New Zealand's first normal schools and as a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture.