BIG ADDITIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 10

BIG ADDITIONS

STATE FIRE BLQCK

UNDERGROUND GARAGE

A four-storeyed addition to the State Fire Insurance building in Wellington is to be made, a contract for the work having been let by the Government tp Christiani and Nielsen (N.Z.) Ltd. One frontage will be used for access to underground garage acommodatipn on a large scale.

The Minister in Charge of the State Fire and Accident Insurance Office (the Hon. F. Jones) said yesterday: "Sortie little time ago the department acquired from Mr. A. S. Balliriger' a section of land with a frontage to Maginnity Street, between the present State Fire building, and the section on which is now being erected the new Government Buildings. Recently this section was added to, by purchase from the Court Sir George Grey Ancient Order of Foresters, of the land with a frontage to Lambton Quay lying between the State Fire building and the Hotel Arcadia.

"Plans have been prepared for building additions which ultimately will cover the whole area between Lambton Quay and Maginnity Street, but the contract now let to Messrs. Christiani and Nielsen provides only for the back part of the proposed additions which will face Maginnity Street.

"The new building is to be a fourstoreyed concrete structure of modern earthquake-resisting design,' with access on all floors from the present State Fire building. 'The Maginnity Street frontage will be utilised for so-, cess to a large underground garage for State Fire Office cars and those of tenant departments. It is believed that this will be the first occasion in Wellington where underground garage accommodation on a large scale has been provided. On completion the ground floor will be used by the State Fire Office, and the upper floors tenanted by the State Advances Corporation."