Page 22 Advertisements Column 2

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29350, 1 November 1960, Page 22

HMI 2KKS&’ _ _____ Hff? Jff[ |S ffi-? I 1 ; ? *-.m •/, • • «•, HE 3 wr- Hltwp.q.-* HsJ SSUlIBIIIR MF J‘T WjjMBE B»BWaBj- ; 4Ku - Rgr ——»ww f ■ I 1,.. - MWp!SSg."O Mm«Rr Mf BF IFF M» ” . v4aa£Hbkii " ••:*_•?. ?, ■■ •*. -^. ~.;' .- s .._. J -:^.. . ' ' ”' . ' P - ■■ ■ ■ ’■ - . . ‘ ■ .- / The New Railway Station Opens /CHRISTCHURCH'S new railway station—for which the city has waited 50 years—is at last a reality. The fine new £1,000,000 building, rising four storeys high, and dominated by its 106 ft clock tower, will be officially opened by the Minister of Railways (Mr Moohan) at 2.30 p.m. today. Beautifully designed, and attractively coloured in red brick facing, with Wedgwood blue centre-lay mullions, the new station has been under construction since February, 1956. Its opening marks the virtual completion of the new railway terminal project for Christchurch, which with associated works such as platforms, yard rearrangements, and resignalling, has cost about £2,250,000. For more than 50 years there had been agitation in Christchurch for a new and more convenient railway station. Several proposals were put forward between 1914 and 1924, but it was not until 1936 that Cabinet approval was given for an extensive reconstruction project, then estimated to cost £708,000. Plans were prepared, and work started in 1938, but the outbreak of war in 1939 inevitably delayed the project. However, some construction work on the project continued throughout the war, with what manpower and materials were available and by 1952 many important phases had been completed. The first stage in the building of the passenger station itself began , . v in 1952, when the main platform was put in hand. This platform was * * brought into operation toward the end of 1953, and was used by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during their visit to Christ--1 church in 1954. In 1953, because of the time since the original plans had been prepared, the Government decided to send two senior railway officers to the United States and Canada to study the latest trends in railway station design and yard layout. Their investigations resulted in several important alterations being made to the plans. + V* To enable an early start to be made with the erection of the main building, construction was carried out in two stages. A contract for the first stage, the foundations and basement for the main block and east wing, was let to the Wilkins and Davies Construction Company, Ltd., at the end of 1955, and the work was completed about the middle of 1957. * * * The contract for the second stage, the erection of the main block and east and west wings, was let to P. Graham and Son, Ltd., in July, 1957. ' The architects for the building were Gray Young, Morton, Calder and Fowler, of Wellington, with Manson, Seward and Stanton, of Christchurch, as supervising architects. The administrative and architectural staff of the Railways Department also collaborated. ■fr 4" v* The laying of the foundation stone on November 19, 1957, by the then Minister of Railways, Mr J..K. McAlpine, was a historic and important occasion for Christchurch and the people of Canterbury. It was almost exactly 81 years since the foundation stone for the old railway station was laid but It was a forcible reminder that New Zealand's transport system could not operate without an .efficient railway service. As Mr McAlpine said with confidence in his address before laying the foundation stone: "As the roads become more congested, the railways win play an ever greater pgr* than in the past."

REFRIGERATION AIR CONDITIONING 1■ / ■ We provided packaged Heat Pump Air Conditioners from one to 10 H.P. for the new Christchurch Railway Station . . . May we call and discuss your requirements ? ELLIS-HARDIE-SYMINTON-LTD. 37 MOORHOUSE AVENUE • . "PHONE M-9ES. AUCKLAND, WILLINGTON. CHRISTCHURCH. DUNEDIN.