£250,000 Contract Signed This Morning

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 647, 26 April 1929, Page 1

£250,000 Contract Signed This Morning

NEW CIVIC THEATRE TWO FIRMS CO-OPERATING As a fountain pen passed from hand to hand in a group of men at the Grand Hotel this morning, a £250,000 construction deal was signed and settled finally. It was the contract for Auckland’s newest theatre—the Civic. The parties concerned are: Civic Theatres, Ltd. Super Construction Company of Australia, Ltd. Fletcher Construction Company, Ltd. Those who were present at the signing of the contract were Mr. T. A. O’Brien, representing Civic Theatres, Mr. Charles Bohringer, architect, Mr. Stirling Rogers, of Super Construction, Ltd., Messrs. W. J. Fletcher and E. H. Rhodes, of the Fletcher Construction Company. Simultaneously with the signing of the documents came the word that the construction of the huge building had been begun in the Civic Square. Work on the foundations was put under way this morning. READY BY CHRISTMAS The two big construction firms are co-operating in the contract, as it is the aim of the organisation to complete the theatre by Christmas. On the ground floor will be 20 shops, which will be ready for tenants by September 1. Super Construction, Ltd., has specialised in the building of big Australian theatres, and its resources will have the support, together with the New Zealand experience, of the local firm. The work will be controlled by Mr. Stirling Rogers, who was in charge of the building of the Capitol and Green Mill Theatres, Melbourne. The now famous Ambassadors Theatre, Perth, is another of his achievements. Mr. Bohringer, the architect, is principal of a prominent Australian firm which specialises in theatres, particularly of the atmospheric type, of which the Civic Theatre will he one. It is significant that each of the principal executives in the big enterprise is a young man. Each has the utmost confidence in plans which will provide for Auckland the biggest theatre in either New Zealand or Australia, and the only theatre of its kind in the British Empire. ARMY OF WORKMEN Although the building is scheduled for completion by Christmas, single shifts only will be worked. By doing away with overtime the contractors will absorb a far greater amount of labour. This aspect of the contract was discussed fully and the decision will mean that, at times, from 900 to 1,000 men will be employed simultaneously on the building. The huge area of operation makes this possible. In all, 30,000 yards of earth have been excavated from the theatre site. A total of 3,500,000 bricks will be required, and an order for 2,000,000 has already been placed. One thousand tons of concrete, 500 tons of steel, and 90.000 feet of timber will be used. Among other items of the huge orders to be placed are 300 tons of fibrous plaster and £50,000 in furnishings. The ventilating system to be installed will shift 200,000 cubic feet of air every minute. The stale air will be washed and treated with ozone. STARS AND CLOUDS Among its multitude of novel and luxurious features the theatre will contain a Winter Garden comprising 200 tables, from which patrons will be able to watch the entertainment. Dancing and stage items will be provided after the regular theatre sessions close. The richly-decorated interior will be canopied on the atmospheric principle with a star-lit sky. Every possible care is being taken to create the outdoor illusion; in fact, the designers are actually procuring the official chart of the heavens above the Civic Square for the purpose of producing an exact replica. In this man-made sky clouda will actually drift above the heads of the onlookers, and rich foliage in the interior will be rustled by a gentle, temperate breeze.