Shand's Emporium

Built circa 1859, Shand's Emporium (formerly 88 Hereford Street) is an example of the early timber buildings erected in colonial Christchurch.

In 1859 John Shand, a farmer, leased Town Section 857 on Hereford Street to William Sefton Moorhouse for a term of 21 years. In August of the following year, Moorhouse leased a part of TS 857 to Harry Bell Johnstone, a solicitor. As part of his lease, Johnstone was required to erect a house. Despite this agreement, Johnstone chose to erect an office building instead.

The building erected was typical of the early timber buildings of Christchurch. Rectangular in shape, and consisting of two storeys, it faced north onto Hereford Street. The interior originally consisted of five offices, two on the ground floor and three on the first floor.

Following its construction the building remained in use as commercial offices. In 1933 the first floor of the building was linked to its western neighbour, the Olympia building. Due to the discrepancies in floor levels, a set of stairs were installed in 88 Hereford Street to enable access to the first floor of the Olympia building.

In the late 1970s the building was threatened with demolition by a proposed development by the New Zealand Post Office. To prevent this, a petition was circulated. After being retained, the building was converted to retail premises and renamed Shand’s Emporium in 1977.

In 1985 the building was registered as a Category 1 Historic Place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

The building suffered serious damage due to the earthquakes of 2010-2011. Rather than demolish it, owner and property developer, Antony Gough, offered to give the building away to someone who would restore the building in a central city location. A heritage grant was approved by the Christchurch City Council to assist with the restoration of the building.

In June 2015 Christchurch Heritage Limited purchased the building from Gough for $1. Later that month it was relocated to a site next to the former Trinity Congregational Church on Manchester Street. After being restored, in October 2019 the building reopened as a cannabis museum, Whakamana.

In 2021 the building became an Irish bar, Paddy McNaughton’s.