Mr Entwisle was one of several speakers who addressed a protest meeting over the issue at noon on Saturday.
Another speaker, Jo Galer, of Dunedin, feared such demolitions were "only the tip of the iceberg".
She feared that if buildings protected by the city district plan were lost, a new wave of demolitions could threaten other valuable historic buildings near Queens Gardens, which did not enjoy the same protection.
The "save historic buildings gathering", initiated mainly by Trish Saunders, of Dunedin, attracted about 50 people and was held on the footpath beside some of the buildings, near Stafford St.
The final decision on demolition of four buildings, from 372 to 392 Princes St, and of another nearby building, at 11 Stafford St, has not been made.
However, a Dunedin City Council resource consent hearings committee indicated in an interim decision in February that it was "of a mind" to give approval to Christchurch developer Luke Dirkzwager's company Prista Apartments, if it came up with a new design "more representative of the character of the precinct".
The interim decision requires the developer to come up with an alternative design by July 1.
Mr Dirkzwager has been seeking approval since 2008 to demolish the buildings and replace them with 15 apartments, with space for retailing on the ground floor.
During the hearings, he argued that keeping the facades was not economically viable.
Mr Entwisle said he was "really surprised" and shocked over the prospect that the historic buildings in Princes St and Stafford St, and their original facades, could be lost.
He noted one of the buildings, a three-level structure at 386 Princes St, had been designed by William Mason, an important colonial architect, and was one of the relatively few surviving buildings designed by him.
He had also designed Dunedin's Stock Exchange building, previously situated nearby, which had been demolished in 1969.
Ms Galer said Dunedin's built heritage was "one of the most important points of difference" with other potential tourist destinations and was clearly "an economic advantage to the city".
"We tell people far and wide how great this city is, how beautiful our buildings are," she said.
