Government Life Insurance Buildings

The Government Life Insurance Building facing Customhouse Quay in the early 1900s. Horses pull carriages in the foreground. 

The building was constructed in 1892 - 1893 to a design by Frederick de Jersey Clere. Due to design flaws and the nature of the reclaimed land on which it was constructed, the building was found to be particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and it sustained minor damage on multiple occasions over its 40-year life. A decision was made to demolish the building shortly after the Napier Earthquake of February 1931.