FREE LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4530, 5 December 1884, Page 2

FREE LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY.

Return of Plans.

At the meeting of the City Council last night, the following letter was submitted from Messrs Grainger and D'Ebro, the architects who drew the prize design for tho Free Library and Art Gallery :—

"29, Queen-street, Melbourne. November 25th, 1884. P. A. Philips, Esq.. ' ■ i-_-__ Sir,—We have this day forwarded tin case containing the following :—Original competition plans, copy, of first set of working drawings (these are lent to yon); new sot of working drawings and specifications, copy of above,'for contractor; charges, £50. We trust that these will arrive in good order, and that you will place this matter before your Council at once. We do not wish to make any further remarks upon the mistake the Council made in not accepting the best set, but as they hove determined to have nothiDg bat the building as shown on the competitive design, we hove just copied them as nearly as con bo done, ot the somo time making the dimensions true. They hove been prepared in a careful manner, and we are determined to adhere to the style of work specified. We feel confident that If the professional gentleman you appoint finds out any little discrepancy, it con be altered without any further ret irning of plans. There are one or two things we wish to point out which it is impossible to carry out as shown on the competitive drawings, viz.:—(l) The windows shown looking over the roof of the Picture Gallery. In working out the design, it; is found that tiicroof is several feet above this level. (2) The two small ornamental windows over the entrance at Coburg-street, if carried out, would be cut in two by the stairs, and as they are of no use for lighting, we hove filled them up. (3) The Ladies' Beading, Room we have been obliged to make 26" larger, owing to the angle of ground shown on competition plans being inaccurate. (41 The two rooms over lecture hall cut through the rool; they are therefore placed above. We should suggest that, as wanted during the furnishing of the building, battens be placed on the Picture Gallery and Library walls; these, of course, do not come under our portion of the work. We enclose o catting from an English paper, " The Builder," which bears us out in our statement that the tower in the competition was weak. However, as you prefer It, you have it in its entirety, improved in one or two points. It was indeed impossible to build it as shown, as the projections on different faces would not not agree with each other. We really contider that most of the objections which were made previously, were thoroughly unnecessary, and we might have been treated in a more friendly spirit. It is certain that the attention wo have given to these plans proves that our idea was not one of shirking, as was insinuated all through the professional report. One fact in proof of this was that in the first case we prepared a sot of drawings which were ot exceptional clearness, and were drown to a scale twice the sizo generally adopted. Again, we forwarded such detail drawings as are usually only prepared When the works are in Srogress. The whole affair has been one of ex•eme worry to us. Our expenses alone have cost L3OO on these plans, and we trust that the matter will now be satisfactorily settled.—We ore, etc.; Grainger and DTi-BRO. [The enclosed newspaper clipping states:—" The style of architecture adopted is Early French Renaissance. The principal entrance is situated at tho intersecting corner of the two streets, where there is a tower, which, judging from a view giveh in the' Australasian Sketcher,' is the least satisfactory feature of the design "]

The Mayor expressed the hope- that the statements contained in the architects' letter would be verified. .He moved that the letter and plans should be received and referred to the Building Committee which had been previously appointed to consider the plans. That Committee wasf composed of the gentlemen best able to deal-with the matter, and there was no necessity for taking it out of their hands. The only change which had taken.place in it was the substitution of Cr. Connolly for Cr. Fleming, It therefore consisted now of Crs. Connolly, La:Roche, Holland, Maclwchnie, Masefield, Messrs Mahoney and Hartley. He proposed to call the Committee together on Monday next..: ;' . ■ A ■■'''

Cr. Goldie pointed out as a striking coincidence the fact that while the architects stated that their expenses in connection with the plans had amounted to £300, that that was just the sum which Cr. Mackechnie proposed some time ago should be given them in order that the next prize plans might be accepted. The motion was then put and carried.