Nick Perry
Construction staff work on the 2011 earthquake damaged Christ Church Cathedral in central Christchurch, New Zealand, on Feb. 11, 2021. The Christ Church Cathedral was arguably New Zealand’s most iconic building before much of it crumbled during an earthquake 10 years ago. The years of debate that followed over whether the ruins should be rebuilt or demolished came to symbolize the paralysis that has sometimes afflicted the broader rebuild of Christchurch. But as the city on Monday, Feb. 22 marks one decade since the quake struck, killing 185 people and upending countless more lives, there are finally signs of progress on the cathedral. It’s being rebuilt to look much like the original that was finished in 1904, only with modern-day improvements to make it warmer and safer.
