NEW RAILWAY STATION

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21989, 13 January 1937, Page 8

NEW RAILWAY STATION

Appointment Of Architects WORK BEGUN ON : DESIGNS. / . / .CHRISTCHURCH TO SUPERVISE i Messrs Gray Young, Morton and Young, of Wellington, have been appointed architects for the new Christchurch railway 1 station, and Mr W. H. Trengrove, of Christchurch, has been appointed supervising. architect. This announcement was made to "The Press" yesterday by the general manager of the New Zealand Railway Department (Mr G. H. Mackley). The building will, it is estimated, cost about £250,000. Work on the plans has just been commenced by Messrs Gray Young, Morton and Young, but they will not be completed for submission to the Government for approval for at least six months. Mr Mackley, speaking from Wellington by inter-island tefephone, said' that the cost of,,the building could not be given with any certainty at present. Everything would depend on the nature of the design and whether the design as submitted 'by Messrs Gray Young, Morton and Young—who are the architects for the Wellington railway station now nearing completion—was' acceptable to the Government. It could be said, however, remarked Mr Mackley; that the cost of the building would probably approach £250,000. The cost of the Wellington station was £339,000, but for the Christchurch station it would not be necessary to provide as much accommodation. It would be easily six months before the design couldbe submitted to, the Government for its approval. Allocation of Work The design of the station will be done by the Wellington firm, and Mr Trengrove : s duties will be to supervise the carrying out of the contract to ensure that the building is constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications. Although Mr Trengrove has been'' associated with only one work of major importance in Christchurch, he is widely known for his domestic work in this city. He is particularly well suited for the position of supervising architect of the railway station because of his unusually sound knowledge of the practical side of his profession,- for he was apprenticed to the building trade and worked for 12 years in that trade before he entered the architectural profession. . ... He commenced his studies -in architecture at the Canterbury University College School of Art and won the architectural scholarship. While he was abroad, after war service, he studied at the Architectural Association- School, London, and received honorary mention . for his work there. Before he returned to New Zealand he visited many parts of the British Isles and the United States of America to broaden his experience in architecture. Mr Trengrove entered the firm of Hart and Reece, of Christchurch, in 1919, and remained there for two years, during that period qualifying as an associate of ; the New Zealand Institute of Architects. He commenced practice in 1921 in partnership with Mr T. D. Brown, A.N.Z.1.A., and on the latter's death continued in l practice on his own account. In 1923 Mr Trengrove qualified as an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects,, and in 1930 he was elected a fellow of the New-Zealand Institute. Important Designs In this same year Mr "frengrove won the competition set by the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association for exhibition buildings in Moorhouse avenue. The cost of these buildings was about £ 32,000, but financial considerations have so far prevented the association from carrying out the project. One of the most important works with_ which Mr Trengrove has been associated is the Robert McDougall Art Gallery. He was nominated by the architect, -Mr E. W. Armstrong, A.R.1.8.A., to be ( the supervising architect, and was ' appointed as such by the Christchurch City Council. The architects, Messrs Gray Young, Morton and Young, have, done important work in many parts of NeW Zealand. The most costly building the firm has designed is, of course, the Wellington railway station, and the work on this will be of great value in preparing the plans for the Christchurch station. The firm has also designed several buildings for the Public Trust Office, and Mr W. Gray Young, the senior partner, was the architect for Knox College, Dunedin, Scots College, Wellington, the Victoria University College Hostel, and the Wellington Training College. :