The Canterbury Board of Education held an architectural competition in 1873 for the design of the Christchurch Normal School.

The board received 12 entries, with Christchurch architect Samuel Farr winning the competition, and Dunedin-based Robert Lawson coming second.

Eventually, the building was purchased by a local entrepreneur, Chris Berryman, whose company gutted and built apartments inside the empty shell.

[12] The demolition did not include nine modern town houses that are also part of Cranmer Court, which are located along Peterborough Street.

A series of ten booklets with the title 'The Architectural Heritage of Christchurch' was produced; the one covering the Normal School was the first in this set.

[20] An extension to the north, in keeping with Farr's work but generally of simpler execution, was designed by architect Thomas Cane in 1878 to accommodate a kindergarten.