THE KING'S CHAMBERS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1680, 11 May 1904, Page 60

THE KING'S CHAMBERS

MESSRS MACKAY, STEEN AND CALDWELL’S MAMMOTH BUILDING. One of the most striking additions made to the architecture of Wellington during the past decade is the building erected on the corner of Willis and Harbour streets for Messrs Mackay, Steen and Caldwell, now ’on the point of completion. The idea of the construction of these premises was formed in the year of the Bang’s Coronation, hence the name by which the building will be known henceforth —the "King’s Chambers.” The building is one of five stories and a basement, and is constructed of brick, w’th a cement facing. The architect, Mr W. C. Chatfield, has exercised his artistic skill to very great advantage in embellishing the street elevations, which are rich in diverse concrete ornamentations of a miscellaneous character. The building is 'divided-Into two parts bv a brick wall and fireproof doors—the Willis street front comprising shops and offices to the top flat, and the back portion a warehouse, consisting <?f five fiats (each one being a large, well-lighted single apartment), to be occupied by the proprietors for the purposes of their business. The huge building contains three lifts—* one for passengers and two for goods. One of the'latter, however, is merely for raising goods to the ground floor from the \ basement, where the nulk goorls are to be deposited. The lifts are worked by hydraulic pressure, supplied by a gas engine, which gives a pressure on the pipes of 7001 b to the square inch. Each shaft-lift is made fire-proof by a lining of asbestos cement on steel lathiner, and the lift doors are sheathed with sheet-iron. All the shons and offices and the stairwav leading to the latter' are also coated with this uninflammable white plaster, which is relieved wherever suitable with stamped zinc, and an ornamental dado of that metal runs up the stairway. The rear of the building reveals a very complete fire-escape scheme, consisting of iron platforms and stairways from each flat. Th i s massive sri’O cture has a frontage to Willis street of 98ft, and another to Harbour street of 100 ft. From the top parapet to the ground there is a drop of 92ft, and looking out from this point of vantage all the surrounding buildings—some of which are the finest in Wellington—are dwarfed into insignificance. The contract price for the “King’s Chambers "was between £32.000 and ,£33,000. The plans were drawn by Mr W. C. Chatfield, apd the building was erected by Mr Allan Masuire.. Mr T. T'aplm acted as clerk of the works for the arch’tect and the proprietors, and Mr J. Hughes was the contractor’s foreman. Every shop—there are six—and the offices, with two exceptions, have alreadv been let, and these are expected to be ready for occupation early next month.