CHANGES ON TE ARO FLAT

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 280, 21 August 1940, Page 11

CHANGES ON TE ARO FLAT

Siow But Certain Process

COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS SUCCEED OLD HOUSES

That district of Wellington city which tlie older folk refer to as Je Aro Hat is changing its face, particularly tlie one-time fully residential streets, for tlie most, part built ou in tlie last century. Houses gradually fell into disrepair and gave way in places to retail business concerns, and now even these are giving way to commercial buildings—departmental blocks for the Government, factories, warehouses, storerooms. 'Jhis movement has been quickened in recent years by the activities of the Government. which invaded this quarter of (lie city for the first time since the Defence Department was boused in Buckle Street.

Among the largest and most dignified buildings of recent erection are tlie Dental Clinic on the site of the old To Aro School in Upper Willis Street, and tlie Wellington Education Board offices in Abel Smith Street. Tlie Government has increased its interests in this area by the acquisition of the Mansions Private Hotel in Ghuznee Street (as a hostel for the clinic trainees) ; by renting the Colonial Motor Company premises in Courtenay Place, and leasing the building that is being erected by the T. G. Alacarthy Trustees in Tory Street.

Other buildings of recent erection wiiich mark the trend of trade in tlie area include the huge bulk stores erected by Woolworths, Ltd. (off Dixon Street), Alacduffs (in Dixon Street), and J. R. McKenzie’s (in Upper Willis Street), and the big Ford garage in Taranaki Street. On the list of recent buildings are the new business premises of Whitelaw Bros., Herbert Street, and-a furniture factory and shop premises in the same street. R. Hannah and Co. are extending their factory premises by erecting a fourstory building in Eva Street, and F. Cooper, Ltd., recently added more accommodation. to their warehouse in Dixon Street. Changes In Haining Street. Even tlie precincts of Haining and Frederick Streets are undergoing a change. Commercial and industrial firms have erected large premises ou land formerly occupied by ancient cottages inhabited by Chinese and Hindus. The once popular and exclusive residential College Street has become the home of busy factories and business premises, some of which extend through to Vivian Street. The freehold of these properties is vested in the Wellington College Board of Governors.

Near by in Tory Street the New Zealand Paper Bag Company some time ago erected substantial premises next to the Municipal Milk Department’s premises, and a little higher up the •St. Patrick’s College authorities are erecting, in reinforced concrete, a large one-story gymnasium on tlie corner of Till and Tory Streets, contiguous to the rear playing ground of the college.

The latest new building in this area is the Fielden Taylor Memorial Hostel for boys, on the corner of Taranaki and Wigan Streets.

This building, now nearly finished, is to lie opened officially by the Prime Minister on September 7.

With the gradual widening of Upper ■Willis Street, Taranaki Street, and Tory Street—on which streets there is a building proclamation—the aspecl of this area of the city is likely to undergo considerable further change in the next quarter of a century.

FACTORY CONSTRUCTION Building Superintendent’s Suggestion

Mr. AV. Aked, building superintendent and chief architect for the AVellingtou City Council, holds tlie view that it is inadvisable in principle that every individual or small firm wishing to establish a factory should build it in one indivisible unit. From his experience in these matters he says that invariably' as a factory business _ increases there is a call for alterations and extensions, often running into a considerable sum of money.

“To a great extent,” he adds, “that could be overcome if the matter of factory building was tackled in a big way, say by some organization which would acquire a large block of land and build just a huge shell on the lines of the tramways workshops at Lyall Bay or the railway workshops at the Hutt, and lease or rent sections of it to people who wish to establish _ factories. These people could subdivide the building with non-permanent walls, so that alterations in the future could be made quickly aud without great expense. Such a 'block could be halved by a cart-way running right through, allowing one-way traffic, to serve all tenants ou either side.” That idea would, he believes, be a much more satisfactory way of providing for factories than each individual firm building for itself. Such a scheme would probably not interest the larger firms, but an aggregation of smaller firms would benefit by the idea in convenience and conservation of their capital.