The Chief Post Office

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 287, 31 August 1935, Page 11

The Chief Post Office

Sir. —I read iu your news columns in to-day’s paper about the proposed alterations fo the General Post Office, and was surprised to notice that it had been decided to remove the two very fine domes which surmount the building on both extremities of the Featherston .Street entrance, and to erect an additional story which would be faced with asbestos. It is to be hoped that the people of Wellington will not tolerate the disfigurement of the ai.i.Barance of one of their finest buildings. It is to be regretted that it has been decider to cheapen the appearance of another important city build1U It is obvious that a cheap addition to our well-proportioned post office would, by giving part of it an unsubstantial, appearance, ruin its merit as an architectural whole, in the same way that the features of the Government Buildings were ruined when the buildings at the rear and the side of it were added. Moreover, there is a large structure being erected for the Government Life Insurance Department, and surely this can be utilised for the post office departments which are cramped iu the present building. Taking this fact into consideration, it seems little short of farcical to spend money to ruin a beautiful building in order to obtain more spaee, when in all probability there will be dozens of empty rooms, in a couple of years, in a building only a few yards away.^ i( am. R etc..