NEW BUILDINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15768, 17 November 1914, Page 9

NEW BUILDINGS.

ACTIVITY IN THE CITY.

£250,000 BEING SPENT.

QUEEN STREET IMPROVEMENTS.

Although the war has had a pronounced effect on building activities in the city and suburbs of Auckland, there axe a number of big contracts still an hand which give employment to a. large number of bricklayers, carpenters, and other artisans, besides labourers.

The biggest building project in hand is that of the New Zealand Insurance premises in Queen Street. The new building is to be a steel-frame structure, eight storeys high, and it will probably cost something in the neighbourhood of £60,000. Plans for the work have been prepared by Messrs. Hoggard, Prouse, and Gummer. The foundations for the back of the building near Mill's Lane have been completed at a. cost of £8000. Here, extensive excavation work has been carried out, and the floor and walls already built have the appearance of a big swimming bath. A considerable time will elapse before the new premises will be completed. Grammar School Contract. The next largest building contract in progress is that of the new Grammar School for boys, which is being erected at Mount Eden. This structure, planned by Messrs. Abbott and Arnolson, was commenced in December of last year, and it is expected that it will be completed by the end of next year. It will, therefore, be ready for occupation after the 1915-16 summer vacation. The contract price for this work is over £31,450. By Christmas time the brickwork will be finished, arid a start has been made to put on the big roof. A number of bricklayers and carpenters are employed on the job, and plasterers are now busily engaged on the interior of the building, while they will start work on the outsido of the structure next wee*. Very suortly plumbers will be employed on tiie build ing. Activity on Waterfront.

In the city building activity is most noticeable near the waterfront. At the corner of Quay and Queen Streets good progress is being made with the erection of Endean's six-storey ferro-concrete building. The steelwork of this building is now in position, and a fair amount of brickwork and concrete work has been done.

When completed the building will consist of nine shops and 90 offices. The contract price is £24,000, and the building will take about six months to complete. The architects are Messrs. Chihvell and Trevi thick.

Opposite the General Post Office m> Queen Street the same firm of architects have a large six-storey ferro-concreto structure in progress. This is being built for Messrs. K. and \\. Hellaby at a cost of £16.000. The building runs through from Queen Street to Little Queen Stre;•(,. It will be completed in about five or six months.

A fine three-storey brick and ferro-con-crete building, planned by Mr. W. A. Gumming, is now in course of construction in Customs Street West. The contract, price for the building is £5000, and the structure will probably be completed in three or four months.

Another big ferro-concrete building in Customs Street West is also being constructed. This is being built as an addition to the Waitemata Hotel. It is a ferro-concrete structure of four storeys in. addition to a basement. The ground and first floors are to be used for shops and offices, while the two top floors will be divided into bedrooms. This building, will take about four months to complete. The building was designed by Messrs- E. Mahoney and Son, and the work is being carried out by day labour. New Queen Street Buildings. In several parts of Queen Street there are buildings in progress. Messrs. E. Mahoney and Son have in hand extensive alterations to the Albert Brewery, as well as the addition of three storeys to the one-storey ■ building occupied by Messrs. Hart Bros. The contract price for the whole of this work is £5575. Extensive alterations and auditions are being made to the premises of the Union Bank of Australia at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets. The whole of the interior is being entirely remodelled from plans prepared by Messrs. E. Bartley and Son. The work will occupy another four or five months, and will cost about £7000. Another large new Queen Street building is that known as. the Ellison Chambers, situated opposite Wyndham Street. This is a six-storey structure, comprising shops and offices. It was designed by Mr. D. B. Patterson, and will be completed in the course- of a few weeks. The building 4ias been erected at a cost of about £20.000. Other City Structures. Outside the immediate vicinity of Queen Street several large building projects are in progress. A , three-storey brick warehouse and garage, designed by Mr. John Currie. is in course of construction in Fort Street for Messrs. Skeates and White. This building will be completed in about a month, the total cost being about £4000. In High Street two storeys are being added to the premises of Messrs L. D. Nathan. The cost of the work will bo about £5000. Mr. J. Currie is the architect. The addition will take about two months to complete. The erection of a large three-storey brick block of premises comprising seven shops and offices, at the corner of Victoria and Albert Streets, has just been commenced to the order of Mr. Gypren Hannah. Tho plans have been prepared by Mr. W. H. Glover, and the building when completed will have cost about £6000.

Further afield a three-storey brick warehouse for Messrs. Thompson and Hills is neanng completion in Nelson btveet, from the plans of Mr. J. Currie. In another month it is -expected that the workmen, will be out of the building. The cost of the structure will be about £6000.

At Freeman's Bay a number of workmen are engaged in the construction of the new City stables, which are being erected in brick. The premises will not be out of the builder's hands for about four or five, months. The contract price is £6000. New Picture Theatres. The building of picture theatres is the most noteworthy feature in connection with building activity in Auckland. ' At least one new theatre is in course of construction, while two more are expected to be put in hand at an early date. Good progress is being made with the erection of the Grand Theatre in Queen Street, opposite the General Post Office. The structure will be a five-storey steelframe building, and the theatre 'portion will seat about 800 people. The plans for the building were prepared by Messrs. Chilwell and Trevithick. When completed the approximate cost of the building will reach £12,000. By Christmas it is exnected that the picture theatre will be ready for opening, but a much longer period will elapse before the whole of tho building is completed. Plans for a new picture theatre in Queen Street, to be- constructed on the site occupied by Mr. Gabriel Lewis's furniture shop, are beine prepared by Mr. Hugh C. Grierson. Tho building of this theatre was postponed indefinitely owing to the war, but tho promoting syndicate has now decided to go on with the project. It is expected that a start will be made on the new building early in the new year. The Dominion Picture Theatres Company also contemplates the erection of a new theatre on a sit* adjoining the Lyric Theatre in Symonds Street. Plans for the building are now being prepared by Messrs. Hoggard, Pjrouse, and Gammer. Among other building projects in band a block of three brick terraced-houses for Mr. J. Stichbury, at the corner of Jervois Road and Curran Street, Ponsonby, will

be completed in a few weeks. The structure was designed by Messrs. E. Bartley and Son. The cost of the block will be about £3000. A block of four semidetached brick houses is being constructed in Park Avenue at a cost of £5000 for Mr. L. H. Neumegen. The contract will be completed in another four or five weeks. In Havelock Street a new apartment house is being constructed in brick at a cost of £4000. from plans prepared by Mr. A. Sinclair O'Connor.

The architects, Messrs. E. Mahoneyand Son, are supervising the erection of two brick shops in Symonds Street, opposite Khyber Pass, for Messrs. E. Porter and Company. The building is being erected at a cost of £2600.

Tenders are shortly to be called by Messrs. Chilwel] and Trevithick for a three-storey brick warehouse in Customs Street.

In addition to the building schemes enumerated above a number of dwellinghouses, besides a few shops, are being erected in various suburbs. In accordance with new regulations alterations to the bars of hotels will have to be carried out at once, and this work will absorb a certain amount of labour.

The value of the buildings in hand and contemplated in the city and immediate suburbs represents a total of over £250,000.