CURATING HISTORY
This year, the iconic Curator’s House Restaurant celebrates its 21st birthday, as its building of residence turns 101 years old. You may know it as a great place to dine fireside in winter and outdoors in summer, a place to pop in for casual tapas or celebrate in private rooms, but there is a wonderful story behind its heritage, opening to the public, and its longevity.
The Curator’s House is one of the most iconic and photographed heritage buildings in Christchurch. It was built in 1920 as the home for the curator of the Botanic Gardens and designed by architects Collins and Harman in the Tudor style, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement.
Five successive curators lived in the house until 1982 when it was rented to a private family. In 1998, the City Council approved the proposal for the Garcia Knight family to open the building to the public. Husband-and-wife team, Javier and Jackie, would establish a restaurant, and develop the demonstration fruit and vegetable garden in partnership with the Friends of the Botanic Gardens. Heritage features were respected as the family contracted Wilkie Bruce Architects to carry out heritage sensitive earthquake strengthening, which led to the post-2011/12 earthquake success story.
With the family’s financial investment to fund the works, the City council was able to ensure the upgrade and security of this heritage building, as it sustained minimal damage in the earthquakes.
Over 19 months, the council carried out further strengthening to bring the building up to new standards before the restaurant could reopen.
The demonstration fruit and vegetable gardens encourage people to cultivate their own produce by providing examples and methods for growing them. Fresh herbs, colourful garnishes, and vegetables supplement the restaurant – from the garden to the plate.
Fortunately, both the family-run restaurant and the building have stood their tests of time, which is remarkable for hospitality or heritage buildings in Christchurch.
To honour this story further, the Garcia Knight family has applied to feature a historical visual display and a guided garden open morning for the Christchurch Heritage Festival 2021 this October.