The building, designed in the Perpendicular Gothic style, was registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage item, with the registration number 302.

It suffered significant damage in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with one staff member killed in the collapsed top floor.

George Stead bought the newspaper in 1890, and in 1905 purchased a site in Cathedral Square for a new building in a location that he thought would become the town centre.

[4] The building was constructed using reinforced concrete, one of the first in Christchurch to utilise this technique, to support the weight of the printing presses.

It suffered significant damage in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake with the top floor collapsing; one employee died, several people were seriously injured and many staff were trapped in the rubble.

All that was remaining by 25 July 2011 was the main entrance door with the newspaper's motto above it ("Nihil utile quod non honestum", which translates to "Nothing is useful that is not honest") and the company's crest above it.