Death of an Old Friend

Nelson's Chief Post Office since 1905 died hard. The old building, weakened by the years and a couple of major earthquakes, was set upon by a firm of Wellington demolition experts and was reduced to rubble in a short space of time - although not as short a time as the contractors would have wished. Controversy over some of the methods employed in the demolition (methods allowed only after the tender was let) led to a certain amount of unpleasantness and resulting hold-ups. But the old building finally came down and a Nelson landmark has disappeared for good.

The hub of Nelson city for 65 years as seen from the air before the demolition began

The old slates were unceremoniously shovelled from the roof

Whole sections of the interior walls were lifted out by crane

With the main building gone, the tower was battered into rubble by the swinging 1-ton steel ball

This part of the work drew big crowds (the expertise of the crane driver who swung the steel ball with shattering impact on to the precise spot required drew admiring comments).

Right to the end the base of the tower fought the machines

A section of brick wall is removed bodily by crane

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The Nelson Photo News

No 121 : November 14, 1970

Death of an Old Friend