Public Trust Office Building, Christchurch, Heritage Category 2 historic building in Central City, New Zealand.
The Public Trust Office Building is a heritage structure at 152–156 Oxford Terrace in Christchurch, designed by architect Cecil Wood and opened in 1925. It overlooks the Avon River and is being restored for office and hospitality tenants.
Architect Cecil Wood completed this structure in 1925 to serve as the central office for the Public Trust, an organization managing estates and legal services. It was built during a period when New Zealand was developing modern administrative frameworks and establishing institutions to handle citizen property matters.
The Public Trust handled intestate estates, cases where someone died without a valid will. Its Christchurch office served a district stretching from the Waiau Toa / Clarence River in the north to the Rangitata River in the south, with the Southern Alps as its western boundary. The first public trustee in Christchurch was Alexander Lean, working from the Chief Post Office in Cathedral Square.
The building stands at 152–156 Oxford Terrace in the central city, on the stretch overlooking the Avon River. Its northern neighbour was the Clarendon Hotel, later Clarendon Tower. The riverside paths make the block easy to cross on foot between Oxford Terrace and the riverbank.
The building's local heritage listing under the Christchurch City Plan was revoked on 12 July 2016, after owner Tailorspace applied to the independent hearings panel for the Christchurch Replacement District Plan. Its Heritage New Zealand Category II registration of 26 November 1981, number 3128, remained.
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