NEW BUILDING ERA

Evening Star, Issue 21620, 16 January 1934, Page 2

NEW BUILDING ERA

REMOVAL OF WELLINGTON LANDMARK SOUND, BUT OBSOLETE The ponding demolition of the Colonial Life Assurance Society’s handsome building at the corner of Customhouse quay and Willis street ushers in a new era of building progress in Wellington (says the ‘Dominion ’). Hitherto the buildings pulled down to make way for new ones have been, as a rule, wooden structures that have seen their day—in most cases relics from the Victorian era. But the razing of the Colonial Mutual building is quite another matter’. Here is a building a little over forty years of age, solidly built of brick, three stories and basement, and a solid square tower. Well designed, and substantial in every way, this building would be good for another forty years or. more in the ordinary way, but the site on which it stands—said to be the centre of New Zealand —is much too valuable for such a building, and it will be replaced next year by a modern tenstoried structure, equipped with every convenience in the way of lighting, ventilation, elevators, and heating systems. Tire building about to be demolished was erected by Edwards and Palmer, builders and contractors, a sub-con tract for the brickwork being let to Mr W. A. Chote. of Wellington. Both the late Mr Alec Campbell, and his onetime partner, Mr Dan Burke, were building apprentices on that job.