It was designed in 1872 by architect William Armson and constructed from concrete and brick in 1880 on a central city site leased to Thomas Richard Fisher, who ran a tea and grocery store.

A category-one heritage-listed property,[1][2] the Fisher's Building was one of the few surviving examples of Venetian Gothic architecture in Christchurch.

Following Fisher's death in 1890, the building was inherited by his estate and passed to numerous owners in the subsequent decades, until it was purchased in 1922 by Henry Slater Richards, who transferred it to his three sons in 1926.

The brothers held joint interest until the 1970s, when it was transferred to Pyne Gould Guinness Limited in 1979 following a successful restoration project.

In the 1980s, his descending relative Lawry Hanafin opened a photography store from the property, operating it for 30 years as one of the last tenants to run a business from the site.

He leased it for a period of 56 years to Reverend Thomas Richard Fisher, a businessman and local Wesleyan clergyman who had given up his work with the church for health reasons.

[4] Over the decades, various tenants occupied the building, including tobacconists, confectioners, florists, and various firms using it for office space.

[4] Hanafin operated his store from the building for thirty years until it was destroyed in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and watched as it was demolished.

[2] The Fisher's Building was severely damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake; the top floor had lost much of its façade, with rubble destroying the verandah below.