CIVIC BLOCK

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 197, 20 August 1943, Page 4

CIVIC BLOCK

PROPOSED ADDITION ESTIMATED COST £215,000 The erection of a large municipal block adjoining the Town Hall, at an approximate cost of £215,000, was the subject of a recommendation adopted by the City Council last night. The committee recommended the establishment of the site indicated in a report by the engineer, and consideration of the question of a suitable design for the building.

This is a proposal first considered in 1938 when sketch plans were prepared Early this year the Mayor, Mr Allum, included it in a report on port-war works, and the engineer was instructed in June to report on the probable plan and present-day cost. .In this report, received last night, the engineer, Mr. Tyler, stated that the original plan involved the diversion of Grey's Avenue into Bledisloe Street to make the new office block adjoin the Town Hall. This would involve the acquisition of land in a somewhat decadent area. The new building would begin about 50ft north of the present Town Hall building and run at right angles to Queen Street, directly across the foot of Grey's Avenue, and the unleased portion of the Civic Square to the eastern side of Bledisloe Street, thus presenting a front of about 165 ft. The western side of the building, 165 ft long, would run across Cook Street and along a portion of the eastern side of the diverted Grey's Avenue. A triangular space between this frontage and the Town Hall would be available for possible extensions to the Town Hall.

The difficulty of assessing costs on a /sketch. plan, and without exact knowledge of post-war labour and material conditions, was remarked on by Mr. Tyler. He, however, gave an estimate of probable cost at £175,000 ror the building, £27,000 for extra land and £13,000 for streets and lay-out, making a total of £215,000.