CITY BUILDING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 80, 28 December 1917, Page 10

CITY BUILDING

A FAIRLY ACTIVE YEAR DESPITE INCREASED COST OF MATERIALS The final building return has been made up for tho current year, so chat one may now fairly estimate what the building activity of the year has been and what money, approximately at all events, that activity has involved. The conditions hare been distinctly against any great building programmo, and the amount of money quoted does not represent as much in brick, mortar, wood, and , concrete as it would in prewar days, for the simple and well-known reason that the cost of material lias advanced about 70- per, cent, on an aggregate. On some lines the advance lias only been from 30 to 40 per cent., but as against that such lines as corrugated iron had hit a very high spot, and roofing tiles have been at a premium. For tho larger buildings steel has been unprocurable, and in most of the sizeable structures iecourse has had to be made.to reinforced concrete and hardwood, more especially the latter, us reinforcing steel has been in very short supply. For all that-the year has been one of notable progress. The marble halls of Parliamentary Buildings continue to rise, very slowly, and one has become so used to the ''unfinished picture" that anything with the touch of .finish ijbont it will be a genuine surprise- to passers-by. The now Central Police Station in Johnston Street is at length completed, Mid some Departments other than the Police, have already taken possession of some of the offices. The Police will •wait until after the New Year bofore moving in. Two big blocks of substantial office buildings which have been started during the year are the building of tho Cunard and New Zealand Snipping Companies in Waterloo Quay and the six-storied building for ■, the Dominion, Farmers' Institute in j Feathorston Street. These are two buildings that will make a fine architectural show in the commercial area of the city. Further down Waterloo Quay Murray, 'Roberts and Co. have erected • a very large and up-' to-date wool store, and nearer the water tho Harbour Board is building a new one-storied cheese store, to fuither relieve the ,pressure on tho available storage! space. The ''W.li'.CA. have also erected a sizeablo tlircestoried wool store on Thorndon Quay, and a two-storied warehouse on the coiner-of AVaring-Taylor' Street and Featherston Street. On the Hutt Road, near town, Messrs. W. M. Bannaiyne ;md Co. have erected a tig oil store, and a new garage nod vorks hava been completed for Davidson and Co. in the same locality. Coming up-town, big additions have bee-rmade to the People's Palace by the' Salvation Army, who aro's\lso erecting a large Workers' Hotel on tho coiuei of Vivian'ami. Tory Streets. A substantial garage has. been erected for the New Zealand Automobile Company in Taranaki Street, and in Conrtenny Place tho Dominion Motor Vehicles Company have erected a very handsome tin ei'-storied" warehouse and oflico building backing on to the firm's big. garage. Further west, in tho same ptreec the premises of W. AV. Pilkington have been altered and improved out of all recognition, and the privuo hotel adjoining is all but completed. Near the big tramway junction a- further block of brick shops and a new picture theatre (tho Paramount) have <>ilJed to the business and brightness of that progressive locality. ■ With tho Wellington Gas Company's property 'in the market, other developments may be looked forward to as soon t is conditions ease up. In Lower Tory Street a new brick structure has been completed for the New Zealand Acetylene Company! -Messrs. Inglis" Bros, have commenced the erection ' or a 'iig giuugc and warehouse block on the corner of Cablo and Lower Taranaki Streets, and in-tbo same block John Chambers and Sons aro.. about to proceud with their long-deferred building scheme. In Manners Street, Mr. 3. Hc-lyer's tombstone repository has given way to ■ a modern three-btory bncfc building, and on the other side the premises of ftadford and Co. have been metamorphosed into the glittering "Rialto," a very delectable lrozen food cabaret. ,in Charlotte Street a new garage has been built for Casel-be.-;i and Co., and higher up m Molesworth Street ihe ofd Wellington E'iotel, destroyed by h're, is being re-erected in brick. Across the hills, the krgest neiv building has been' the new car slieds in Onepu Road, which Mve been found of immense service to the tramway authorities. , '

_ ■ There has been a pronounced activity in residential building in certain localities, notably in western Kilbirnio, Lyall Bay, Wadestown, Hataitai, and to some extent at Kelburn. Among tho big buildings "on the stocks" is tho Scots College, which goes to Miramar, a' new building for tho State Fire Insurance Company, and possibly some ,developmente on Lambton Quay not yet ready for publication.

Mention should be made, among tho buildings completed during the year, of tho immense warehouse block erected by Hope Gibbons, Son, and Clarkson, in Taranaki Street (parb of which is occupied by tho Defence Department).

For the purpose of recording tho districts in which new buildings and additions or alterations to buildings are made, the Building Inspector (Mr. Drummond) divides the city into four districts, viz., the city (the area surrounded by the Town Belt), Melrose (the, old Melrose Borough, which includes Brooklyn, Island Bay, Kilbirnie, Hatfiitai, and Lyall Bay), Northland (as far west as the Kaiwarra Stream, and Karon' Beservoir Reserve), and Wadestown (that part of Onslow taken into the city some si's years ago). Adhering to these districts, which are represented by their initial letters, one gets the fajlomng results from the

Tlie above totals ntWcd tpether civo tlie expenditure on buildiim in Woliinnr-, ton for the year ended, December- 11 as (approximately) £413,441.

fortnightly reports:— 0. 'M. X. W. £ £ £ £ Dec. 12 to Jan. 23... 9.196 17.812 391 3,035 Jan. 24 to Feb. « ... ■ 4371 9.905 95 - Feb. 7 to 20 15.759 5.1« ECO 5.733 Feb. 21 to Mar. 6 ... 2.978 2.191) 20 2,548 Mar. 6 to 22 28.445 2.766 1,948 - Mnr. 23 to Apr. 3 ... 5,577 4,«1 2.610 1,119 Apr. 3 to 18 423 5.280 . 620 2,200 Apr. 18 to May 1 ... 3,M 5.735 780 - May 1 to 15 :.. 89B 7.306 - - May 16 to 29 : 11,601 3.326 780 - May 29 t» June 6 ... J6.W5 -J.990 <0O — June 13 to 26 9M 5.697 ■ - 1.500 June 27 to July 10 16.9.7S 8,414 1.575 - Julv 11 to 24 1.353 4.842 - -' JulV 25 to Aug. 7 ... 6.091) 3.J30 - 1.M5 Aug. 8 to 21 2.083 9.695 - 170 Auff. 21 to Sop. 4 ... 2,224 4.262 8 » Sep. 5 to 18 :.... 13.422 6.945 575 580 flop. 18 to Oct. 2 ... 59.554 2.790 575 SCO Oct. 2 So 16 9.457 3.655 l.OSO - Oot 16 to 30 2.130 4.916 798 2.100 Nov. 1 to 13 3.570 4,144 - 1.500 Nov. 14 to 27 13.356 3.555 m 2,210 Nov. 28 to Dec. H .... 1.430 '3.355 575 — rpotnls '.41,717 133,42413.7E0 24.520