CHURCH BUILDING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 April 1939, Page 4

CHURCH BUILDING

NEW KNOX SUNDAY SCHOOL STRUCTURE GOOD PROGRESS MADE TOWARDS COMPLETION. COMMODIOUS HALL & MANY CLASSROOMS. Good progress is being made with the construction of the new Knox Sunday School building, so much so that it is possible to gain some idea of the facilities that the new building will provide for church work. The building, which is costing about £9,500. is being erected in concrete, with brick facings. The greater portion is of two stories. The new structure, which is being built around the McLaren Building, on the corner of Worksop Road and Dixon Street, but is quite independent of it, will have a frontage of 45 feet 9 inches to Dixon Street, and 69 feet to Worksop Road, though the total width across the back will be 74 feet. It is expected that it will take three months to complete the building. The principal feature of the new structure is a commodious hall, 50ft. by 45ft., with a height of 22 feet, and a stage 17ft. deep and 45ft. wide in front. Dressing rooms are placed on either side of the stage and in the basement below there is storage accommodation for stage properties, etc. A balcony from the first floor overlooks, the hall. Access to the hall is obtained by two entrances at the rear, while a further exit is to be provided by converting a window in the McLaren Building into a doorway. The main entrance to the hall is from Worksop Road, 9 feet wide. This also leads to the library, cloak room and the stairways to the first floor. A corridor entrance, six feet wide to the building (and the hall) is also provided at the rear. The new hall is of such dimensions as to make it possible to have two badminton courts, with ample clearance overhead. Steel trusses have been used for the roof, the hall and the ceiling is to be of sound-proof boarding. A kitchen, which is to be constructed in the McLaren Building adjoining the stage, will be fitted with a stainless steel sink and cupboards. Ample provision is made in the new building for classrooms. On the ground floor of the hall portion are four Sunday School classrooms, each 10 ft. by 7ft. while on the first floor, where the senior Bible Class department will be located, there are seven rooms altogether, one 2LI- feet by 141 feet, two 12| feet by 101 feet, two 10 feet by 7 feet, one 13|- feet by 10 feet, this one being convertible for use as a moving picture projection room and one room 16| feet by 7 feet. At the back of the classrooms on the ground floor will be a verandah with cantilever steel trussed roof.

The single-storey portion, of the new building, located on the Worksop Road frontage, will accommodate the junior department. This contains a hall, 341 feet by 20 feet and seven cubicles, four being 8} feet by 7 feet, one 11 feet by 9 feet and two 9 feet by 8.1 feet. The junior department portion total length of 45 feet and a width of 30 feet 5 inches. Provision is being made in the classrooms for hinged seats along the walls, -so that when these are not in use they can be folded back out of the way. A gas plant will be installed for the heating of fne nan and the various rooms. On the south side of the building wil be three sets of conveniences for the hall, Sunday School and junior department respectively. The contractor is Mr J. W. McKeon, of Wellington.