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Seismic assessment of the Manchester Courts building is presented. This building was demolished following severe damage that resulted from the magnitude 7.1 Darfield earthquake (Canterbury, NZ) on 4 September 2010, amongst widespread objection from heritage supporters who believed that this historic building could be adequately reinstated. Finite element (FE) analysis was used to undertake a performance-based assessment using time-history analyses, and the accuracy of the model was validated by comparing the simulated results with benchmark experimental data and observed damage. The finite element model utilised two-dimensional (2D) elements in three-dimensional (3D) space and the macro modelling method was used.