Crate Escape
Date: October 2015
Our Role: LiVS arranged site access and managed landowner negotiations
In 2016, Brett O'Donnell, Henry Jones and Logan McMillan placed a nondescript container on the corner of Armagh and Manchester Streets. This was the start of Crate Escape. The team spent approximately six months developing the idea and about $25,000 to get it off the ground.
Crate Escape was part of the ‘escape room’ phenomenon which became very popular around the world. Visitors were locked into the space and must use logic, find hidden clues and solve mysteries to escape within the allotted time; a great experience for the family, to have a laugh with mates or bring a crew for a team building experience.
The site had previously been an abattoir and the site of the flagship Verkerks small-goods shop in Christchurch. The site became vacant after the earthquakes and a number of different projects happened on the site including Gap Golf, art installations and more.
The site was sold in mid-2019 but Crate Escape continues to go from strength to strength, securing a more permanent building in the central city.