WORK IN HIGH STREET.
CONTINUATION OF WIDENING. NECESSARY LAND SECURED. EXCHANGE OF PROPERTY. All the difficulties as to title to property that stood in the way of the widening of a further portion of High Street have now been removed. For some time past the arrangement has been hung up pending the acquisition by the City Council of the necessary portion of the frontage of the section formerly occupied by the No Deposit Piano Company and the freehold property owned by Messrs. Gilbert Brothers, Printers. These at present jut out over the areas required for the widened street. A considerable time ago the City Council secured the No Deposit property from the late Dr. T. W. Leys, then its owner. Now, the negotiations with regard to Gilbert Brothers lot have been concluded.
On the south side of the Gilbert building is the block used at one time as the City Council Chambers, and afterwards as the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board offices, at the corner of High and Chancery Streets. Next to this building, again, at the corner of Chancery and O'Connell Streets, is one that aforetime was the police station of the city. It has a long frontage to O'Connell Street, running back behind the Gilbert block, and has always remained in the possession of the Government.
The arrangement now concluded between tho respective parties interested is that the City Council shall secure, and hand over to the Government Messrs. Gilbert's property, with the exception of about 10ft. of its northern end, which will remain in the firm's possession, and shall also transfer to Messrs. Gilbert, in compensation, the former No Deposit property, retaining to itself, however, the necessary portion of the frontage for the widening of the street to the width already secured for the portion between it and Shortland Street, and again between the two exchanged properties and the Chancery Street corner. In this way the Government will be in possession of a square block fronting the three streets, which it has long understood it wishes to use for departmental buildings. Prior to its removal to Princes Street, just below where the Museum now stands, the post office stood on the site at the corner of High and Chancery Streets. Messrs. Gilbert are now preparing to vacate their premises, and will hand them over to the city early in May.
All the properties just referred to stand on the area swept by the great High Street fire of July 6, 1858, the first conflagration of any extent in the city. It began at the Osprey Inn, which stood on the east side of High Street, near Vulcan Lane, and spread to Shortland Street in one direction and Chancery Street on the other, taking both sides of High Street, and extending also into Chancery Street. In all, 52 buildings were destroyed—practically the whole block bounded by Shortland, High, Chancery and O'Connell Streets, besides the extension across High Street, and down Vulcan Lane.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19289, 30 March 1926, Page 12
Word Count
494WOKE IN HIGH STREET. New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19289, 30 March 1926, Page 12
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