THE CIVIC CENTRE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 100, 30 April 1938, Page 10

THE CIVIC CENTRE

TOWN HALL BLOCK

PLANS FOR RE-DESIGN

OUTLINE OF SCHEME

The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, today ' gave a general outline of proposals which are in train and will come before the new council for the improvement of the Town Hall and the ultimate development of a civic centre on the triangle of land between Mercer, Wakefield, and Cuba Streets, all of which is now city property. It was the desire of the City Council, and of all citizens, that Wellington, should look to itself and make the best of itself for the Centennial, said Mr. Hislop, and the .council had already gone a certain way towards the improvement of city land and properties about the Town' Hall. The, greater part of. the foundation work for the new Central Library was completed, and within a very short time actual building work would be commenced, and would be completed by the Centennial date.

This would leave vacant the old library at the corner of Wakefield and Mercer Streets, and as the Education Board's building, between the present library and the Town Hall, was now vested in the City Corporation, the whole of the triangle between Mercer, Wakefield, and Cuba Streets waj owned by the city. THE FIRST STEP. "The general scheme," said Mr. Hislop, "is for the development of thin block as a civic centre, ultimately by additions to the Town Hall and a refronting of the enlarged building on the Willis Street side. The new. building will house all the main administrative offices. It will naturally be a considerable time before the whole scheme can be 'carried out, but plans are under way now for the commencement of part of the work, and it is felt that a useful development can be made by building a portion of the proposed new civic block on the land between the present hall and the Education Board building."

If this was done, said Mr. Hislop, the new accommodation would be used for the staff at present most inadequately housed in the Town Hall building, where some of the offices were not deserving of the term. The council had already set aside certain sums to build up a fund for the purpose, and he hoped that by the Cen-, tennial it would be possible to complete portion of the work. That conditions in the Town Hall offices and also in the engineeering department building were extremely unsatisfactory would not be denied by anyone who had a knowledge of the overtaxed and inconvenient offices in both buildings; the position was, in fact, intolerable. OPEN SPACES IN MID-CITY. "This proposal, which, I hope, willbe considered' by the new council with a view to its early commencement, should materially relieve the position' and will be a step - forward to the development of the ultimate scheme. When this final scheme i« completed there will be an open planted area where the present library stands, leading to the . redesigned frontage of the civic building. The interior of the Town Hall will be improved, for, with, the rehousing of a part of the staff, it will be possible to provide cloak rooms, reception rooms, and other public facilities, which in the present hall are quite "out of date or missing altogether. "Wellington is extraordinarily short of open spaces and green grass in the city area; it is a point that has been repeatedly commented upon by visitors, but Wellington people have more or less taken it for granted that Wellington, alone among New Zealand cities and towns, can do without such things. The space to be created where the library stands today will be a valuable little rest park, and the area about the new library will also afford a mid-city open space and will tone in with the general scheme. Apart from that, the green sward, pathing, and planting will add to tht fine appearance.of the new library."