THE NEW MUSEUM BUILDING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4338, 13 February 1875, Page 2

THE NEW MUSEUM BUILDING.

To convey an idea of the alterations at present being carrier! out at the Colonial Museum, the following explanation of the plans will be necessary. The present building consists of only the central ball, built about 1864, and. the north wing, built in 1867. The soujh wing is now to be added, and both the centre and wings will be three feet higher than the present structure, the additional height being gained in the present building by excavating and building underneath, the floor beinglowered by screwjaoks to the required level. These portions of the building will have a gallery 10ft. wide round all the sides except on the east side of the central hall. These three large halls and their galleries, with the Maori House (in which it is intended to exhibit the Maori curiosities), will then form the principal exhibiting space of the Museum. In front there will be a two-storey building, the ground floor consisting of entrance hall and offices for the Director of the Geological Survey and his assistants, besides the library of the New Zealand Institute and Philosophical Society, while the upper floor will form a lecture hall. This hall will be 54ft. by 30ft. and being fitted with fireplaces at both ends will be adapted for division into two rooms if necessary, while the walls ■null be devoted to the exhibition of plans of patents. The two entrances to the lecture hall and galleries will be approached by staircases from the entrance hall. On entering the building, after passing the recessed outer door, the visitor will find himself in a lobby ten feet square, in the centre of which he will ascend by three steps to the level of the entrancehall. This hall will measure forty feet, up to the entrance of the central hall, by twenty feet wide; but at a distance of thirty feet a series of steps will rise from the floor, and lead to the doors of the exhibiting rooms. From this level, staircases will branch right and left to the lecture-room above described. The hall will have on either side a series of pillars. The ceiling will be coved, the whole being of polished New Zealand woods, and the floor of colored tiles. It is intended to fill up the spaces between the pillars with specimens of sculpture. On the left of the hall will be the director’s and draftsmen’s rooms. On the right the clerks’ room, assistant geologist’s room, and library. The style of the building will be modern Italian, rusticated with circularbeaded windows. The lower story will be of massive appearance. The upper storey is recessed 10 feet in front, the front of the lower storey being adorned with balustrades. The building will be brought down to the line of the street.

Although the additional space afforded will be very great, it is believed that the collections already crowded into the Museum will be sufficient to fill up the increased space which the new building will place at the disposal of the staff. The present building has tor some years past been very much crowded, —too much so to allow of a proper arrangement of the valuable collections secured since Dr. Hector has bad charge of the Museum. Dr. Hector, as already announced through these columns, has despatched a large collection of fossils to Loudon for description and classification. Some of these, being veryunique, will be brought back to the Museum ; while the others, together -with duplicate collections of other natural history objects, will be distributed amongst the various European museums as exchanges. Increased interest may be expected to be taken in the development of our New Zealand resources by many persons in England, whose attention will thus be attracted to the subject by the display of sofine a collection. The colony will also derive considerable advantage by putting before scientific men at Home many things about which it would be quite impossible to arrive at determiuate conclusions in the colony, with the limited means of reference at the disposal of our scientists.