Grant approved for landmark Lyttelton lodge

A landmark heritage building in Lyttelton that was once a Masonic Lodge and the studio of a well-known New Zealand artist is a step closer to restoration.

Kilwinning Lodge in Canterbury Street dates from 1881.

However, it was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake and remained empty.

Originally a Masonic Lodge, it was bought by prominent artist Bill Hammond in 2000. Hammond, who is known for his “bird people” paintings, adapted the hall to use as an artist’s studio, installing three large windows on the south side.

A heritage grant has been approved for Kilwinning Lodge in Lyttelton.

The lodge’s new owner – a structural engineering company that bought the building in 2015 – has asked the Christchurch City Council for a heritage grant towards the cost of repairing, strengthening, and renovating the building so it can be used as an office upstairs, with leased commercial space on the ground floor.

At a meeting on Wednesday, the Social, Community Development and Housing Committee approved a Heritage Incentive Grant for Kilwinning Lodge.

The grant is split into $158,782 this financial year and $100,000 in the next financial year.

The owner of the classical-style building would need to enter into a full conservation covenant with the Council as part of the grant agreement.

Committee Chairperson Councillor Phil Clearwater says the building is an important local landmark.

It overlooks Albion Square and contributes to the unique identity of the town centre.

“The grant would protect a unique and significant building in an area where so many heritage buildings have been lost following the earthquakes,” he says.

The original single-storey brick building was damaged by fire in 1903. Rather than demolish and rebuild, the existing building was constructed reusing the brick walls and facade and a timber second storey was added.

The new owner plans to fix damaged areas and bring the building up to current codes and standards, while also maintaining and restoring heritage features that have been lost over the years, such as an original decorated parapet on the facade.

The cost of heritage-related work is estimated to be over $1.2 million, with the Heritage Incentive Grant contributing about 20 per cent of the total cost.

The building is scheduled as ‘significant’ in the Christchurch District Plan.

It is part of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Lyttelton Historic Area.

The Social, Community Development and Housing Committee approved several other heritage grants:

• A grant towards saving the facade of the C.F. Cotter and Co building at 158 High Street that would be split into $72,741 this financial year and $70,000 next year.
• A building at 226 Kilmore Street, which dates from 1899 and has one of the few remaining bullnose verandas in the city, received a grant of $100,000.
• An additional Heritage Incentive Grant of $200,000 split between this year and next year, following a previous grant of $200,000 last year, was approved for the Pumphouse at 544 Tuam Street. It is a ‘highly significant’ building in the Christchurch District Plan. The building is one of the few visible, above-ground components of the city’s 19th century sewerage system.
• A house at 30 Hackthorne Road, Cashmere received a $10,000 grant and a residence at 3 Winchester Street, Lyttelton, which was built in the 1860s, also received $10,000.