STATE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 33, 2 November 1933, Page 10

STATE THEATRE

Building Work Proceeding REMOVAL OF A WALL The creation of the State Theatre, in Courtenay Place and Tory Street, by N. Cole, Ltd., for Amalgamated Theatres, Ltd., is not a straight-out building job. It is the conversion of two existing'buildings, one facing Courtenay Place, the other Tory Street, into one building, by joining the former on to the latter at the rear of both. Such work is sometimes even more tedious than straight-forward building. For example, there is in the Courtenay Place building a double wall. The inner wall, which ha? to be taken out to give the architect the maximum space for the entrance, is of concrete and brick, reinforced by a network of steel rods. This offers a very stout resistance to the sledge-hammers and crowbars of the demolishers, who will, remember that wall for many years to come.

The brick garage building in Tory Street, which is to constitute the auditorium of the theatre, has to be strengthened before the old first floor girders can be removed with safety. This is being done by cutting longitudinal panels 'of brick out of the side walls at intervals, and filling the spaces so created with reinforced concrete piers of great strength. While this work is being carried on at high speed, a small army ‘of carpenters is building the framework of what is going to be one of the most novel ceilings in Wellington. Not until this overhead work is well under way will a start be made on the construction of the raked floor. The new work consists of the removal altogether of the back' wall of the garage, and in building a new back to the theatre altogether on an [alignment with the entrance block. Mr. J. W. Shanks has replaced Mr. George Smith as foreman for N. Cole, Ltd., the latter having been killed recently in a motor accident on the Hutt Road.