The Press SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1972. The Town Hall and the community

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33035, 30 September 1972, Page 16

The Press SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1972. The Town Hall and the community

Major developments in cities these days are commonly viewed with cynicism or resignation, if not direct hostility, by those who find less and less satisfaction in city life. The completion of the Christchurch Town Hall is obviously one of the splendid exceptions, an occasion that has been greeted—as it undoubtedly should be—with general approval and pleasure. It is an achievement of which any city should be proud, and on which its citizens are entitled to congratulate themselves while remembering gratefully all who have been instrumental in bringing an inspiring project to a triumphant conclusion. Formal thanks will be given today to those who have helped with their professional and technical skills, their political and administrative energy, and their financial contributions, large and small * This gratitude has been well earned. By any standards, the imagination, skill, patience, economy, and care that have gone into the creation of this building are outstanding. It is a notable example of successful co-operation between local authorities; it is evidence of what a city may achieve by energetic leadership and concerted effort, by seeking and using good advice wherever it may be found, and by enlisting the sympathy and enthusiasm of all its citizens. For some time the Town Hall will justifiably be an attraction in its own right; it will be enjoyed for its own sake as a building of great architectural distinction. Its novelty and aesthetic interest will indeed be a bonus for all who use the building’s facilities. Already it is apparent that the building will provide a great stimulus to the city’s drama and music, and will confer grace and dignity upon civic occasions, meetings and conferences, and the many other uses to which it will be put. It is this interaction between the building and its uses that will be the measure of its value to the community.

The opening of the Town Hall is surely also an occasion to reflect upon the future of the new civic heart of Christchurch. When Professor Gordon Stephenson advised 10 years ago that the site in Victoria Square was to be preferred above all others for the Town Hall he made an important proviso. Unless, he said, the square was to be developed to its fullest extent —to the boundaries set by Kilmore Street and Durham Street, and by the closing of Victoria Street between Durham Street and Colombo Street—this site would not be his choice at all. The merits of his argument were accepted without question at the time; and they appear even more cogent now when the Town Hall has been built and some of the land adjoining it has been cleared. As in many urban undertakings, further progress towards the fulfilment of the Stephenson plan depends on action elsewhere, particularly the completion of the one-way street system in the centre of the city.

The administration building for the Christchurch City Council, an integral part of the Town Hall scheme from its inception, is another major item in the city’s development that should be brought to the forefront of civic planning by the completion of the Town Hall Heavy financial commitments by the council on other expensive works—to say nothing of the unavoidable rise in the cost of normal civic services—should not be allowed to delay the construction of the administration building, the need for which, in the interests of civic efficiency, has been acknowledged for very many years. The transformation of Victoria Square, indeed, has barely begun. The process will be continued with the completion of the civic centre and the construction of the new court buildings and a large and much-needed hotel. All this is a challenge to those who are responsible for guiding and controlling the development of the city. Scarcely less challenging is the future of Cathedral Square. Although the Square will remain the hub of the public transport system, and therefore a centre of much business activity, it is in danger of losing more than its traditional role as the focus of civic life. Improvements for traffic and pedestrians will not prevent this welcome open area, in a city by no means over-endowed with open spaces, being overshadowed by the large new buildings that are in course of erection or planning. Only sensitive control by the civic authorities and vigilance by the public will avail to preserve something of the Square’s cherished character.

The opening of the Town Hall today by the new Governor-General (Sir Denis Blundell) will be deeply satisfying to Christchurch and Canterbury people, not merely because they have waited for it so long, but because they know it to be the realisation of the dreams and the culmination of the life-long efforts of many dedicated citizens. They have acquired not only a superb building in a setting that many more populous cities might envy; they will, if these things are used wisely and well, have discovered a new source of civic strength and a new inspiration to civic progress.