Turnbull Library being removed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33110, 28 December 1972, Page 10

Turnbull Library being removed

(New Zealand Press Association

WELLINGTON, December 27. Thousands of valuable pieces of New Zealand’s history are being moved in Wellington this week.

I The 20 employees of th' (Alexander Turn bull Librar; land a team of carriers an working through the holi I day to move the contents o I the old library in Bowei (Street into the former “Nev (Zealand Free Lance” Build |ing on The Terrace. ( More than 60.000 volumes (hundreds of valuable print: and files, and furniture an being moved.

!| The shift to The Terrace is temporary while a new na- ; tional library is built in • Molesworth Street. f I The project has reached the 1 working drawings stage and r ( hopefully it will be ready in - five or six years. However, the Turnbull’s ,’chief librarian (Mr A. G. ; Bagnall) says the completion ». date is more likely to be “the year X.”

i The “very functional” (12,000 sq. ft building on The Terrace is welcome, he says, jbut twice that amount of floor space is needed to hold all the library’s books. At present they are stored , in buildings scattered about 5 Wellington. } “We’ve all got strong feellings of regret at leaving the ? old building.” said Mr Bagj nail. "But while we re atr tached to the place we realise the inevitability of s having to move.” The Bowen Street building, 1 built by Alexander Turnbull 2 as his residence in 1916. is Tan earthquake risk and must be demolished. I Even $60,000 worth of jst mgthening and reinforciing work in the 1950 s was not enough to win it a permanent reprieve.

’I “There’s no doubt the ? place is a bit shaky.” says Mr , Bagnall. “I sat here through r an earthquake on November 1 1. 1968 and I remember thinking then that if it went on 1 just for a few more seconds t the bricks would start failing out of the walls.”