OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 219, 4 February 1913, Page 8

OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

A CPLDITABLK ADDITION. Tli(< public offices adjoining tile Po- i lice Station in which (lie Deeds and Stamps ami other of local branches of the Governments will lie housed is now completed with the exception of the furnishing. The whole building which is constructed of brick coated with plaster, is an acceptable addition to the public buildings in tin; town. It is particularly solid both in iip"'»;iranee and structure, and. being of the old English -ivle is not unhandsome. Tt has been built for the future, «.s is evidenced- bv the fact that the walls are strong and thick enough and the foundations sufficiently deep for another three stories to be added to it. The public en! ranee opens on Powderham street, and the whole of the left half of the building is built strong-room f<«h< ion. This contains the strong-room which is a strong-room of itself. The only entrance is through six inches of r;teel in the shape of a Mann's fire-proof door. This compartment which will be devoted to the safe housing of deeds and other important records is encased in 18-incli walls, a floor of solid concrete. 18-inehes in thickness, and a solid concrete ceiling resting on iron girders, supported by two twelve-inch ferro-oonerete columns. " T 'he windows are protected bv Brady's f"~-proof shutters, and the dimensions of the room are 30 x 30 feet. Opening from this room and in the front part oi £he -building are the stamps and documents rooms, lf> x 12, and 14 x 12 respectively. They are equally as fireproof as the room already described. On the right side of the building—the line of demarcation is a. spacious hall. 24 x A feel—there are four other rooms. Facing the street are two compartments: one (15 x 14) ear-marked for the District Land "Registrars office and the other (14 x 17) for some other Government department yet. to be decided upon. Separated from these by a seven-feet side corridor, are the two remaining rooms, comprising quarters for the Agricultural Department and a. tvpitstfi. respectively. | Electric light will be installed throughI out the building, and casement window--have Iv.pn provided. Each room is fitted with Boyle's ventilators, and the whole structure is easily the best ventilated public building in the town. Two-inch fire hoses are littted in the hall. All the rooms fire plastered, and the whole of the exterior is finished off in the same material, relieved by some cement facings. The roof is of Marseilles tiles, and all things considered the structure is a credit to the architecture of New Plymouth. The total cost was about £3500. and the contractors were Messrs. R. Coleman and Sons. Mr. F. Redd subcontracted for the plastering and Messrs. Smart Bros, for the electric light instalment.