A NEW COMPLEXION

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 106, 1 November 1934, Page 15

A NEW COMPLEXION

TOWN HALL'S FACE

ITS YOUTH RESTORED

Tile appearance of the- Town Hall, when the work of exterior renovation is ■finished about December 7, a week or more before the arrival < erf tho Duko of Gloucester, will bo rather-a surprise to those' adeustomeel to the dinginess it has accumulated/with' the. years. Nothing- very drastic has been done to it. It has-not had its face lifted, nor even massaged. * All that has been done is to dry-clean the surface and paint it with a special imported paint, but the result of having the sooty dust taken out of the corners has revealed beauties of architectural ornamentation entirely overlooked, because of the dirt. The anachronism ofvthe ornate architectural embellishments in their new dress "is striking. Modern, buildings have'irur figure line, and are severely plain, while- the beauties of; the cornice and pillar ornamentation, -which in their suddenly-acquired freshness seem just to have .been completed, present a picture like that of mother •when she was sweet seventeen, with coiled tresses, soup-skimmer sleeves; and sylph-like outline. ■•■.":""..' ' -■■«*■' Strangely, enough,, the removal of the tower has1 not affected the appearance of the building as much as was expected at least not in'the immediate vicinity. The?removal of the. portico—considered, by :the way, as'one of the most dangerous portions of the building from the earthquake point of view—will in reality make the building more impressive, giving the effect of added height to the frontage. Some of the- Australian stone which;■■has-been taken .from the portico is being worked to form part of the less imposing, but safer, entrance steps.1 : . ■ -. '. • :: Everywhere the solidity of the work impresses. The pillars on the southern side have been cut into for the purpose of safely tying them back to the building, and the, quality, of both bricks and mortar was a sore trial to the workmen. Indeed,, the faithful construction of the ; mfissiv.e''biiilding has considerablyl < f«tarde,d the, operation', of demolishing the unwanted parts. .The spot where the tower was .has'.fceen filled in with iron .reinforcement .and. concrete, ..and the flat roof goes over the site which 'once; carried a timepiece even better known than the Town Hall itself. Apparently the buttressing and other strengthening of the building will be undertaken after .the Duke's visit. One thing is very apparent when the finished appearance of the exterior is considered, and that is that the interior of the building; in its present state will look positively mouldy. Interior,renovations of the hall would-preclude revenue during the progress of the work, and where the Corporation staff could be accommodated while the,work was being done would present another pror blem. Something will probably be done inside in the end.