“TIMES-AGE” BUILDING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 April 1938, Page 6

“TIMES-AGE” BUILDING

WELL-DESIGNED MODERN STRUCTURE. BUILT TO RESIST FIRE AND EARTHQUAKE. INTERIOR ARRANGEMENT AND EQUIPMENT. Designed throughout on the latest fire and earthquake resisting principles, and in such a way as to ensure the highest possible efficiency in the various phases of newspaper production, the new reinforced concrete building at the corner of Chapel Street and Cole Street, lately completed for the “Wairarapa Times-Age” Company, Ltd., is a handsome structure, taking a noteworthy place among the business buildings of the town.

The building covers a site having a frontage of 150 feet to Chapel Street and 106 feet to Cole Street, and presents an imposing facade to both streets. Functionally, it may be divided into two portions, the administration portion, which is two stories in height, and the publishing portion, which is of one storey. The administration portion, which as befits its purpose is rather more formal in elevational character than the’ publishing portion, is entered from a semi-circu-lar portico at the corner of Chapel and Cole Streets. Here a feature has been made of the two large columns which extend through to the top of the first floor, and have between them a flagstaff incorporated with an ornamental motive. The general exterior treatment of the building is on the most modern lines, in which all superfluous ornament is eliminated and the desired effect is obtained by contrast in mass and colour. Here the two contrasting colours used are a light buff and a dark brown. The interior of the administration portion is carried out in coloured plaster with wallboard ceilings. From the entrance portico, double doors give entrance to a vestibule from which the stair rises to the first floor. In the vestibule is a paper rack which holds the current file of the paper. From here double glass doors give access to the main office, which comprises staff working space, strongroom, storeroom, toilet accommodation, counter and

public space. From the public space doors give access to separate rooms for the general manager, business manager and advertising manager, and for the editor and reporters, ail of which are well lit by windows on the street frontages. The general manager has private access to the office staff and to the business manager, while the editor

has a slide communicating with the reporters’ room. From the reporters’ room a small proof-reading room is partitioned off by glazed screens. Adjacent to the main office is the filing room, and a small counter giving access to the job printing department. The first floor of the building is available for letting offices, and at the head of the stairs are double doors giving access to a semi-circular balcony above the portico which may be used for public addresses. The publishing portion of the building is so planned that all the various operations are conducted with the greatest possible convenience and the least waste of time and effort. The supplies of paper are brought in in trucks to a cart dock on the Cole Street frontage, where they are unloaded by a travelling hoist directly into the paper store, which occupies a large area. Wide sliding doors give direct access from the paper store to the job printing room and to the Cossar machine room, where the actual news printing is done. A large travelling crane runs the full length of this room to facilitate changing the heavy webs of paper used on the machines. The papers when printed are taken into a covered loading dock adjacent to the machine room, and then out through a yard and gates on the

Chapel Street frontage. In this yard covered racks are provided for newspaper boys’ bicycles. Tito linotype and composing room occupies portion of the Chapel Street frontage, and has direct communication with the machine room and job printing room, and also through slides with the reporters’ and proof readers’ rooms. Off this room are a large stereo and block room, small rooms for meals and advertising copy, and toilet accommodation. The emergency gas engine, melting room and destructor are adjacent to the Chapel Street loading dock, and the boiler room and central heating plant are adjacent to the Cole Street cart block.

in a building of this type, adequate lighting is of primary importance. In addition to large windows on the street frontages, the whole of the publishing portion of the building is lit by overhead windows in a saw-toothed roof, so arranged as to afford good ventilation and even illumination free from glare. To assist illumination, the walls are white-washed. This finish has the advantage of being easily and cheaply renewed when dirty. Generous electrical services and central heating have been installed throughout, and the finish both inside and out. is of first quality. The needs of the "Wairarapa Times-Age” Company should be efficiently and economically served by this building for many years to come. The architects were Messrs Mitchell and Mitchell, of Wellington, and the building was erected by Messrs Me- i Millan Bros., contractors, of Master-i ton.