THE TOWN HALL

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 94, 18 October 1934, Page 15

THE TOWN HALL

PORTICO GONE

REINFORCING BAND

The greater part of the heavy going ia the alteration of the Town Hall to give greater public safety in the event of earthquake- is over. The tower is down, tho ornamental top hamper has been cut to tho roof level, and the 'Cuba Street portico has disappeared. Today the men are removing the last of the heavy bases on which the tall columns supporting tho pediment stood. The contractors have commenced the actual reconstruction work, and there is every probability that the job will be completed boforo tho end of the year, in time for the city's welcome to the Duke of Gloucester, which seemed doubtful a few weeks ago.

There arc still many people who say that a mistake was made by tho council in ordering the alterations: that the appearance of the hall is ruined and that the expenditure of £5500 odcl was so much waste of money. The council, after giving the matter tho very fullest consideration and referring the question of the safety of the building first to its engineers, then to a committee of architects, and later again.to an independent structural engineer, was convinced that tho alterations were essential in the interests of public safety. The council definitely did not rush into the decision without. proper thought; it did not act until it was convinced.

The Cuba Stroet portico was probably the weakost part of the whole building. In the tower there was a cer-, tain amount of reinforcing, though not in accordance with present ideas of oven minimum strengthening, but in the portico there was no reinforcing which could have been effective. One main beam of steel ran across its front, but this was not effectively tied in, and some of tho wooden beams were showing signs of age and rot. The new portico will bo much smaller in length, width, and height, and the approaches are to be altered to permit cars to drive nearer the doors.

A start has not yet been made in redesigning tho doors to open outwards, as-is held to be essential in all theatres and other public places of entertainment, but this is to be done as part of the rebuilding of the portico and approaches. Ono of. the most important sections of the work in hand is tho placing of a reinforced concrete band round the roof line of the whole building in order to tie tho walls and corners much more ■strongly than they are tied at present. There were many examples of the remarkable effectiveness of these bands to be seen in Napier after tho 1931 earthquake. This will not complete the reinforcing planned, for a good deal of strengthening work is considered necessary to the main hall and concert chamber walls, but this is not provided for in the present contract.

Tho hall is to be given a finishing coat of paint as part of the contract, the final coat being a normal slate grey. The concrete simply mops paint up, and the. cost of this work alone, it is understood, is round about £900. So much new plastering will be done in the redesigning of. tho Cuba Street and Wakefield Street fronts, where the porticoes are cut away, and round the roof line, where the reinforced band is being put in, as well as where minor patches are necessary, that a complete paint up was thought essential to give the hall any sort of a dignified appearance. , ' ■