Newtown locals hope to save 100-year-old building damaged in Kaikoura quake

The pink building was damaged in the Kaikoura earthquake. Photo / Supplied

Residents hope a more-than 100-year-old building in the heart of Newtown can be saved from the claws of demolition machines.

The building at 163/165 Riddiford St was seriously damaged in the Kaikoura earthquake.

Property manager Peter Noble said engineers and architects had spent some time working on a plan to save it.

He said a load-bearing fire wall running the length of the building was damaged in the earthquake.

Noble said they were meeting the Wellington City Council today to see if it was economical to repair the building. If not, it would be demolished.

According to the Newtown Shopping Centre Heritage Area report, the building was built at the start of the 20th century.

"Two storeys high, the building has had a long history of change, today reflected in its simple modernised frontage, shallow verandah on steel posts and startling bright pink colour scheme."

Newtown Residents' Association vice president Martin Hanley said brightly coloured buildings like 163/165 Riddiford St give the suburb its quirky character.

He said he hoped the building could be saved.

"You don't have to throw away everything and start again, it's much nicer to fix things."

He said many people in Newtown lived in fixed-up old colonial cottages and maintained them even if it wasn't cost effective because they added character to their community.

The Riddiford St building was first owned by Alexander Wilson who was a builder and city councillor.

It has since been used by well-known stores and restaurants like Aztec Inn and Oxley Electrical.

Lloyd Kelly Jewellery operated out of the building for more than 30 years and moved to a new shop down the road after the November earthquake.

Hanley said the building wasn't a mint Victorian restoration project because it had been changed so much over the years but someone should take care of it.