A WASTED FRONTAGE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 462, 22 March 1909, Page 4

A WASTED FRONTAGE.

' A PLAN TO IMPROVE THE TERRACE, NEW OWNERS WITH IDEAS. In the courso of an article, based on the cutting tip of the Evans Estate- on Lambton ■ Quay (which appealed in Friday's Dominion), it was mentioned' that, in every case, the ■ properties that have changed hands extend ' from Lambton Quay hack to Wellington Terrace— perhaps, the most favoured residential 1 street in Wellington. 'The fact that makes ' this so is that the thoroughfare is really a high terrace, which traverses a line that, for [ a distance, runs almost parallel to the Quay. , Its commanding location gives the fortun. >' ate owners a fino view of city and harbour, ; and to this charm is added the great convenience of being resident only two or three minutes from the very heart of this busy ; city. It is that portion of Wellington Terrace (the northern end that is parallel to Lambton Quay) that claims attention just now. Tho whole length of the Terrace front- , age, from Mr. Herbert Raw-sun's property to ' a point in a lino with Kolburno Avenue, has not, so far, been utilised. This presumably i is owing to tho rather stoop face of tho dc- ■ scent from the Terrace to tho Quay, and, ) though Lambton Quay has always been ro- ; garded as tho business thoroughfare of i paramount value ant? importance, tho own- • ers on .the western side have never attempted to realise on their valuable, double frontage. With this change of owners this state of I things'is not to remain for long. At least , one owner of a very largo block intends to [ make use of the Tcrraco frontage, but in a somewhat different manner to that proposed I by Mr. Robert Hannah about a year ago. This gentloman, who recently paid a visit to ' America, is convinced that building on tho Quay-ward frontage of Wellington Tcrraco ; presents no very exceptional difficulty. Indeed, ho goes as far as to say that such building would not bo so costly as is tho case on Wellington's reclaimed land, as tho cost of foundations would not ho. nearly so groat. Tho great clement in tho kind of < structure he contemplates is steel. Without . disturbing tho bank, beyond making a few . holes, ho would erect his building on steel . standards, tho strength of which would ha . worked out mathematically to bear tho 1 weight of tho building proposed to be erected. Theso would be locked together | with stout steel girders to take a strain in [ any direction, and ho would then fill in tho [ wall space, with solid concrete, concrete slabs . (as in America), brick, or other material. [ On such a baso a fine torraco of three or four story buildings could bo orectcd at a reasonable cost. These, from their central 1 position and tho view they would command, must make highly desirable residences for business and professional men'; also for better class boardinghouses. In nominating tho number of stories for such structures, tho _ idea is to call that story on a level with tho Terrace tho ground floor. Tho flats below, curtailed by 1 tho sloping bank, could be utilised for domestic purposes, washhouscs, fuel bins, etc. This idea would make for economy, and would also bo an amalgamation building scheme, under which tho whole of tins longwasted frontago could bo converted into fino buildings.