UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4437, 9 June 1875, Page 2

UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA.

Though scarcely advanced sufficiently to arrest the attention of an artistic eye it is evident the new Union Bank of Australia, opposite the Supreme Court, will rank as one of the finest buildings in the colony. Situated centrally upon a site which has in times past elicited covetous offers from the mercantile fraternity and the bankers by turns the building could not fail to have an imposing, not to say a commanding, appearance, for it faces three of the principal thoroughfares of the city, a circumstance of which every advantage has been taken by the architect, Mr. O. J. Toxward. Portion of the site, it willibe remembered, is reserved for the erection of the fountain to be presented to the city by Mr. John Martin upon his return from London, so that the ornamental features of the new bank will be considerably enhanced. Those who are at all familiar with Mr. Toxward’s abilities will, however,' at once concede that no adventitious aid is necessary to assist the critic to a favorable report upon his works. Without reverting to the long list of buildings in tills city with which his name is creditably associated, a single instance may be named—the National Bank—a structure which constantly arrests the attention of visitors from all the colonies, and elicits flattering encomiums* The new Union Bank, then, will have a frontage of 62 feet to the junction o Lambton-quay, Hunter-street, and Featherstonstreet, 41ft. to Lambton-quay, and 52ft. to Featherston-street. In style it is Doric, with a faint trace of the Tuscan, introduced, possibly, to give lightness and freedom to the design. From the purely artistic, or perhaps it would be more correct to gay from the purely architectural point of view, the junction facade is rendered admirable by a boldness of conception which gives character to the edifice as a whole. Here we have an effect produced by a judicious arrangement of prominent points, so to speak, for, dissected, there is nothing on the plan but windows, columns, and entablature, yet the manner of their arrangement produces a harmonious blending and an agreeable feeling of warm approval. The fagade has an extent of 56ft. and an elevation of 30ft. There are no doors in this portion of the building, the entrances being from Featherston-street and Lambton-quay. Thus the whole wall space is utilised for lighting the banking hall, there being three large windows ten feet high, raised nine feet from the ground, and two smaller porch windows Bft. by 3ft. 6in., raised sft. from the ground, the windows on the two other frontages being of the same dimensions. Ranged alternately between the three large windows are columns 18ft. high, of which there are ten in all ranged round the building, in addition to eight pilasters. Surmounting these is an - entablature decorated with sunk panels and tryglyphs and cornice and blocks, culminating in a panelled and moulded parapet neatly capped. The general effect could not well be surpassed, and though the side frontages are of lesser merit, there is manifested a discriminatory power which gives change and relief by the introduction of a mezzanine (or dwarf) floor, with, of course, windows to correspond. From the Featherston-street, or Lambton-quay entrance—it matters not which, for one is the counterpart of the other—the customer or visitor finds himself in a lobby 10ft. 6in. by Bft., and passing through swing doors reaches the [banking hall—an apartment 28ft. by 36ft., and 23ft. in height—which, amongst banking institutions, is a chef d'ceurre. The interior of this hall is decorated in a manner similar to the exterior, but on a smaller scale. It has Doric cornices, coved roof, and ornamental panels, the ceiling being divided into panels by beams, the soffit of. which is sunk panels, the cassoons (or sunk panels) between the beams being set off with ornamental mouldings, after the manner of the Greek and Roman ceilings. The doors, architraves, pediments, entablature, and dado are to be of cedar, French polished, the bolection moulding of the doors being a special feature in the ornamentation. Thus of the main portion of the building. To the left of the Lambton-quay entrance are a waitingroom and the manager’s room, and to the right,, on the Featherston-street side, are the clerk’s room, sitting-room, bedrooms, and room for the officer in charge, the mezzanine floor being reached by a staircase in this portion of the building. In the rear are the strong room and stationery room, the whole building being cut off from the adjoining buildings by a solid brick wall, the roof, to still further reduce the risk of fire, being of slate. Lavatories and outhouses are provided, and gas and water are laid on wherever required. The building will cost £SOOO, and is to be finished toward the end of September, Mr. McKenzie being the contractor.