ART GALLEBY DESIGNS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 145, 23 June 1930, Page 8

ART GALLEBY DESIGNS

(To tha Edit*.)

Sir, —It was with feelings of the greatest pleasure that, on opening . Wednesday evening's issue of "The Post," I saw the illustrations of the selected designs ■for the new Dominion ■ • Museum, Art Gallery, and Belfry. All those who, likemyself, have a real love for our beautiful Wellington must rejoice to think that at long last we ,are to-have, so splendid a building in place of those at present housing our collections—both inadequate, particularly, in the case of the Museum. "There is, however, one thing which strikes everyone who looks at the design,'- and that is the fact that the belfry, from its. position directly in front of .the )main building, obscures a considerable portion of the' centre of the building. It seems evident that.from a distance the two will not stand out as separate, but will blend into one, so that' the full beauty of iboth will be marred. Presumably the position', of the belfry in* the design is the only possible one on the Mount Cook site, but must it be'put there? Could it not be placed in some' other commanding position—say, for '■ example, on the Kelburn hill ? I• am aware of the fact that the belfry has been designed in keeping with' the main building; nevertheless, a' thing of such beauty would look ' admirable anywhere, and it does seem a pity that two such fine structures should not be ■' seen to advantage simply because they are crowded.—l am, etc., SOLUS. [As it has taken three years to achieve the present position and the whole group of buildings- has been designed so as' to fit into one.complete picture, our correspondent will . himself see that he; is rather late, in the day.in making his suggestion, and, that to proceed with it now would jeopardise -the whole scheme, besides involving more years of • delay. Kelburn Park also has been ruled out by .experts as being unsuitable for the campanile. Again, the campanile has been designed as a separate structure on ' the Mount Cook site in order to allow it sufficient room in,- which to "sway" without breaking off,' thereby reducing the earthquake risk to a minimum.—Ed.J