Back to the 1875-look facade

Scaffolding has been removed from the front of the former Canton Restaurant premises in Princes St, Dunedin. The facade is being restored to its former glory.

Built in 1875, the building was the office of the Standard Insurance Company. Building owner Ted Daniels received a $60,000 grant from the Dunedin Heritage Fund in 2010 to help with the restoration project. Mr Daniels said the facade on the first and second floor had been finished, and scaffolding was removed so the ground floor could be worked on.

He hoped the veranda would be removed by the end of the month. It would be another two months after that before the entire facade was completed. Work would then continue on the interior of the building before it could be leased.

''We've already done quite a lot of earthquake-strengthening inside, but there is major work still to be done,'' he said.