Our Changing Sky-Line

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 572, 26 January 1929, Page 18

Our Changing Sky-Line

CITY’S BUILDING PROGRESS

Offices, Flats and Houses

SHOOTING skywards like mushrooms, lofty blocks of offices and flats are changing our city skyline year by year. Apart from magnificent buildings erected by insurance companies, the last 12 months have seen the completion of the War Memorial Museum and St. James Theatre. For contractors, the year 1923 has been a milestone of building pro-

'AN unusual boom In city building ■* during the past three months has resulted in the figures for the last 12 months exceeding those of the corresponding period a year ago by £271,302. It must be remembered, however, that without the assistance of the big railway station job, to cost £326.000. this year’s total would have been £55,698 less than was tfce case last year. The total for the 12 months stands at .£1,644,160 against £1,372,858 in the corresponding period a year ago. For the period the comparative

figures for 192 S and 1927 are as follow: — 1928. 1927. £ £ January- 68,051 53,203 "February 211,809 112,195 March 98,817 169,248 April 53,785 167,453 May 103,437 120,831 June 159,540 70,930 July 97,035 91,056 August 3 37,926 99,902 September 106,932 73,142 October 452,818 57,123 November 89,790 245,633 December .. t . . . 64,220 112,142 Totals £1,644,160 £1,372,858 Most o£ the big contracts have been located in Queen Street, where pro-

gress last year was really remarkable. ALONG QUEEN STREET Let us, in imagination, walk up Queen Street from the Ferry Buildings, our eyes roving from side to side picking out the old from the new. Cooke’s unusual building is the first to attract attention. An unusual effect has been gained in this structure by omitting the heavy figured coping that has hitherto been so usual that the idea of doing without it has occurred to few architects. The effect enhances the simplicity of the building but to many critics, accustomed to the heavy facade of the conventional building, the appearance of Cooke’s is bald and uninteresting. Next of the big undertakings is tbe rich and attractive Vulcan Buildings, one of the' most pleasingly designed blocks in town. From the rounded cupola to the spacious arcade this building is a splendid example of the architect’s art. Almost next door is Keans, Ltd. —a building that has obviously been erected in a style that will permit of the addition of extra storeys. Now across the road and one is confronted by the seven-storeyed building recently erected for the Colonial Mutual Life Insurance office. The charm of this dazzling white edifice lies in deep but well-lit shop windows, and a gaily-tiled entrance hall. As in most modern buildings, the use of glass has been taken full advantage of and the office suites are among the sunniest in Queen Street.

Across the street again and Lewis Eady’s building with its delicate ornamentation calls for a halt in the tour. Much has been done here with the limited field of a fairly narrow frontage, but it is in the interior that, most of the architectural triumphs are to be seen. For many day 3 after it was opened the structure received numerous visits from interested Aucklanders who were impressed with all the interior decorations, which are so much different to what one usually associates with a shop. Up the broad stairs is the pleasant concert hall where the city’s musical societies and literary clubs have found an ideal home. With a backward glance, we cross the street once again to where an impressed ring of spectators gazes solemnly at hurrying groups of workmen as they labour to push up the Auckland Power Board’s huge block of offices. When work was started on this building it was found necessary to go down 51ft to find an adequate foundation of bluestone to support the building. Above the eight floors a tower 23ft high will rear its lofty head. The building was started in June, and the contract price is £73,360. Continuing the journey up Queen Street, our eyes are gladdened with the sight of activity on the Civic Square, where work is progressing on the erection of a block of shops and offices for Tanfield, Potter. To the left the tower of St. James Theatre draws one’s eyes to a facade with so

narrow a Queen Street frontage that the ignorant passer-by would hardly realise he was passing the entrance to one of the most up-to-date theatres in the Southern Hemisphere. Though theatre-building has boomed in the suburbs lately, St. James is the only theatre opened in the last 12 months in Queen Street, though at least two more houses of amusement are proposed. St. James has been something of a revelation to Auckland theatre-goers. Its intimate seating, enticing -colour scheme, comfortable lounges and unusual decorative features, are absolutely new to New Zealand. Aucklanders have not been slow to appreciate this. Upper Queen Street is yet in the melting-pot and it will probably be a year or two yet before there is anymarked progress further up the hill. OTHER CITY JOBS Shortland Street has been the scene of more building activity than any other city thoroughfare during the period under review. There, the massive South British building is under way, while Yorkshire House, a building which incorporates all the best of modern improvements, was opened some months ago. . The full decorative value of terrazzo, figured panelling and dull bronze fittings has been realised to great advantage. Another important city con tract at present under way is the Queen’s Arcade schenle, the Customs Street frontage of which was started

some time ago. The arcade will make a right-angle, turn and emerge in Queen Street at a spot now occupied by Irvine’s Chambers. The estimated cost of the scheme is £BB,OOO, and there will be accommodation for 11 shops on the ground floor, and 44 offices on the four floors above. Big jobs for which permits were granted last year include:—-Cleave’s Building, High Street, £21,000; Tanfield Potter, Civic Square, £17,000; Vulcan Buildings, Queen Street, £25,590; Smith and Caughey’s, Wellesley Street, £54,571; Auckland Power Board, Queen Street, £73,360; Colonial Mutual, Queen Street, £79,171; W. R. Cooke and Co., Queen Street, £54,000; South British, Shortland Street £83,500. Though only the largest contracts have been mentioned in this article, it should be sufficient to show that there will be no lack of shop and office space in the city for many years to come. Old established firms have launched out with huge- buildings designed to cater for many tenants in addition to their own requirements. Whether they are wise in so doing time alone can tell, hut it is certainly remarkable evidence of faith in the growth and health of Auckland’s business world. AT CITY OUTSKIRTS

Apart from residential work most of the building in the outskirts of the city is decidedly indicative of industrial progress. Queen Street has seen the last of its wooden shops. It may

be that within the next few years, industry in the city will have lost its last corrugated iron shed. Modern factories are built mainly in brick and concrete. They are sturdy structures and the hygienic use of glass has been adopted almost throughout. The biggest factory jobs for which permits were granted last year are as follow:—New Zealand Milk Products. Cleveland Road, £35,576; A. Harvey and Sons, Victoria Street, £15,372; Abel Dykes, Lome Street, £10,411; Farmers’ Co-op. Auctioneering Company, wool store, St. George’s Bay Ro*.’d, £10,777; Auckland Laundry Company, Surrey Crescent. £15,600; F. Harrison, St. Margaret Street, £11,097. Worthy additions to the imposing arrav of semi-suburban buildings are the Methodist College in Grafton •Road, erected at a cost of £34,000; and St. David's Presbyterian Church in Khyber Pass, involving a sum of about £16,000. THREE BIG CONTRACTS The two undertakings which loom largest in the eyes of Aucklanders at present are the new railway station, and, occupying the most commanding site on the isthmus, the museum, which has progressed rapidly during the year and is now completed. The massive structure is sufficiently well known to require no description. Indeed it even threatens Rangitoto as Auckland’s chief landWork on the new station is going

ahead satisfactorily, and next month should see the immense undertaking well under w’ay. The platforms and subways are completed and a start has been made in erecting the steel framework for the main building. The sum of £328,000 is the contract price for this work on which large gangs are constantly employed. Not so frequently brought under the notice of Aucklanders, but none the less important, is the huge Huia dam contract on which nearly 200 men are employed. Although climatic conditions have made it unnecessarj', a million gallons of water a day could be drawn from the Hnia supply to supplement existing reservoirs. Work is proceeding apace in the valley, and a little township of busy workmen is making great progress with the contract, which is estimated to cost about £490,000. FLATS AND MORE FLATS Perhaps the greatest development, both in the number of buildings and in their constructional features, has been in the erection of flats on a large scale. Not many years ago, the term flat was abhorred. The meaning immediately read into it was that of sharing a house. It meant a loss of privacy, unsatisfactory sharing of household utilities, and but rarely did it work smoothly. With the coining of the adjective “self-contained,” however, the flat has lost its unhealthy stigma. Now’ flats are amazingly popular and, on the face of (Continued on Page 19)