THE AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS.

Evening Star, Issue 10339, 12 June 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS.

The extensive and sightly.block of buildings which the Agricultural Hall Company have erected on the reclaimed land between Crawford and Vo'gpl streets are now approaching completion, and thoße who look through the premises can fairly make comparison between this and the principal buildings at the service of the public in other parti of New Zealand. Such comparison on the part of persons qualified to express an opinion must be that Dunedin is well maintaining her reputation as the best-built town in the colony. It is a simple fact that this new structure has no equal in New Zealand. Solidity and permanence and capaciousness are its leading features, and in regard to design the comfort and the artistio tastes of the users have been carefully studied.

The buildings are of brick, on conorete foundations that are strengthened with rows of railway iron, the roof of corrugated iron, and the block occupies the whole depth of the section from street to street. The front is carried out in the Renaissance style of architecture, with white stone facings, cornices, and pilasters and a background of black-jointed brickwork, a distinctly impressive effeot being secured by the judicious and tasteful way in which the front is broken up with pediments and oriels.

There are no underground cellars or rooms, so the visitor in starting his round of inspection begins with the ground floor. Here, in front, there are five offices of various sizes, the smallest 20ft by 10ft and the largest 29ft x 17ft. Three of these offices are fitted with strong rooms. We observe that the sign of a mercantile firm already appears on the. windows of one of the offices, and no doubt they will all readily let, since the trend of business is in the direction of this site. At the southern end of the frontage we find the implement court, measuring Ssft by 03ft. This is a roomy and well-lighted court, floored with sandy clay and having for its main entrance a cartway 16ft wide. It is from this courtyard that access is gained to the rooms set apart for the .electric light machinery. There are two of these, one devoted to the housing of the engine, the other occupied by the accumulators. The whole of the premises are to be illuminated with the electric light, the arrangement being to have the engine at work by day filling the accumulators for the night's supply. Special pains 'have been taken to convey the fumes from the eleotrie plant to the overhead region by means of exhaust pipes. The main hall, also on the street door, is the pride of the building—a spacious and chastely-handsome place that it will be a luxury to sit in. As to its size, the measurements are 99ft from the front of the stage to the back wall by SOft in width and 40ft from floor to ceiling. These figures may not, perhaps, give the general reader a very accurate idea of the hall's capacity, and we therefore add that it is the largest hall in the colony, being squarer than tho Garrison Hall, and calculated to hold 3,500 persons. A considerable amount of money has been spent in providing a roomy stage, and when we mention that it is 25ft deep, the inner edges of the proscenium being 36ft wide and 20tt high, it will be understood that the stage is large enough for all ordinary purposes. The plan provides accommodation for drop scenes and dressing rooms and all the everyday adjuncts to theatrical performances, the arrangements for comfort and convenience being quite up to date. The stage front is of the composite orler of architecture. The pilasters on each side are fluted in the top half and surmounted with carved capitals, white the entablature above is finished with mouldings and dentil cornices, emblems of agriculture taking a prominent place in the ornamentation. The color decoration of the stago front is certainly very pretty, the prevailing tints being terra cotta, blue, and gold in pleasing proportions, while a cluster of three tulip lights on each side of the proscenium and a comprehensive sy-item of footlights, by which white, red, green, and blue lamps can be used either separately or in combination, make the provision for spectacular display quite unique. The convenience of thoce who occupy the stage has also been studied in the matter of exit?, for at one end of the stage there i 3 a door opening on to Vogel street and at the other end an outlet to the overbridge ; and it may be mentioned that the retiring rooms and their appurtenances have been most thoroughly the subject of study in designing the building. The retiring room for ladies belonging to the stage measures 20ft x 12, and that reserved for gentlemen is 19ft x 16, each being fitted up with a lavatory.

Ascending by the stage staircase at the southern side of the premises, we come first to the caretaker's three rooms, which between them take up a space of 46ft x 24ft, and the visitor then passes to the gallery of the main hall, this running round three sides and containing ample seating accommodation for 550 persons. Nobody in this pirt of the house will have reason to complain of want of room, for there is 20in of space between the front of one row of seats and the back of the next row—room enough, indeed, for a person to walk between the rows when the seats are ocoupied. There are six rows of seats in the back gallery, and a passage 2ft Gin wide is left unseated along the back of each side so as to allow persons to get in or out without making a fuss. A feature in the construction of the hall is (ho strength of the roof and the gallery. This has been the subject of a special test. Mr Hislop, the aiohitect, had twenty-two tons of pig iron carried up to the back part of the gallery, and the iron lay there for three days without placing the least extra weight on the supporting brackets, the rods suspended from the principals in the roof bearing all the strain without any sign of giving.' There are ten of these principals, each with 9in x 4iin rolled iron joists, and every one will carry a weight of between 70 and 80 tons. This is the result of a calculation by the New Zealand Engineering and Electric Company, who made the roof.

The appearance of the roof is undoubtedly pleasing. It is rounded in the angles, and consist? of a series of coves divided up into bays with mouldings and cornices, che ample surface being broken up by numerous skylights, which for acoustic reasons are not recessed. Here it may also be mentioned that the lining runs all one way, this- being in pursuance of the plan that was successfully adopted by Mr Hislop when he built the Exhibition concert hall, the object being to give the best possible effect to sound at concerts.

The general ornamentation of the interior is light, elegant, and proportionate. A sturdy red dado gives body to the coloring of the walls on the floor ; rising to the gallery we find the ornate casi-iron railing in green, relieved with gold bronze, the handrail finished in sage green and bon accord, while the seats are covered with crimson plush; and above this the walls are of white plaster, and the roof is painted in French grey picked out with subdued tints. The lighting of the hall has been made a specialty. The space under the gallery will be lit up by means of incandescent clusters, and overhead there are five arc lamps which can be raised or lowered by means of weights secured in side flues upstairs; and the gallery has its own lighting from four clusters of lights in tulip-shaped glasses. By day the hall is admirably lit, and it should present a charming spectacle at night. Ventilation is secured in a very effective manner. In the centre bay of the ceiling there are eight ventilators—a whole row of them each led by a shaft to the roof and connected with a torpedo ventilator. Besides this provision, the eight ceiling lights are supplied with spaces for the escape of impure air. The inletting of fresh air is provided for by louvred ventilators made to open and shut at pleasure. There are forty-Mx of these. It is more than likely, we understand, that later on, when funds permit, the ventilation will be further assisted by supplying a Blackman eleotric fan to exhaust the heated air; but in the meantime no fear need be felt as to the lack of oxygen. As matters of minor importance, but yet worthy of mention, we may remark that a waterpipe is laid underneath the centre of the main floor, so as to enable a fountahrto bs made Bhould this be desired, say, at a flower show or a ball; and under each of the gallery seats will be found a wire hat

rest, (his idea being introduced by Mr W. Angell, who has hit on o simple Mid in* genious contrivance for disposing ol hats of auy size, and keeping them away froraflMS and danger of crushing. ~ % , The public will naturally want to know something about exits and entrances, and in this respect tliero seems,-to be every for full satisfaction. To the lioor of thc\ hall there are firstly the main entrance fromCrawford street, 10ft wide, and a second one from Crawford street, Bft in width. Then there is an exit door.opening ifittfJetty street; And there ,s0 three exits into*' the implement court, each of these ronr doorways being Bft wide; while the two back doors open 6ft. The outer doors of the hall all open outwards. The gallery is approached by two flights of stairs—eaoh Bft wide—these being of concrete oarried on railway iron, and eaoh opening separately from the street, apart from the ordinary entrances. One of these stairways leads to the centre of the baok of the gallery; the other to a corner door. There is also a door at each of the opposite ends of the gallery. In order to provide for contingencies in case' of fire, though it is hard to see how fire can arise in such a building, a water, servioe is placed on every landing. :The subsidiary accommodation .at; the, Agricultural Buildings is such as to surprise the visitor. At the rear of the main hall, upstairs, and therefore fronting Crawford street, there is a sepond, hall, whioh has a. larger floor space than the Choral Hall, the dimensions being 62ft Gin x 41ft. This hall is lighted by large windows and four pendants; and a large balcony opening from it on to the main street will accommodate a full band. This hall has its own retiring room for ladies. It should suit admirably for dancing assemblies, lectures, and similar purposes; : The other upstairs apartments are the secretary's room, 13ft x 16ft, this being provided with a stroug room, teler: phone, and other necessary conveniences ; the spacious committee room, Psft x 19ft Gin ; and the ladies retiring room, 19ft 6in x 17ft. Each of these apartments is light, airy, and commodious, the design of the whole building, indeed, having pointed reference to the exclusion of those plaguy demonß, darkness and foul air. Mr James Hislop, as the architect, has personally supervised the whole of the extensive job, aud Mr Joseph Barton, as clerk of the works, has had his hands pretty full. The contract for the building was entrasted to Mr Samuel Abnrn ; and the sub-con-tractors have been Messrs T. J. Wright and Son for the painting and decorating, Messrs A. aud T. Burt for the plumbing, Mr W. Newman for the plastering, and the New Zealand Engineering and Electric Company for the roof.

The Hon. T. Fergus is chairman of the company, and to this gentleman and his associates in the enterprise the thanks of Otago are due for providing premises which will be of general value to the district and an immense advantage to our chief industry in giving country people a common rendezvous and further establishing that very useful body the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society—a society that has done and is doing solid work for the prosperity of our province.