THE ROYAL ARCADE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1798, 22 August 1906, Page 17

THE ROYAL ARCADE

A GREAT BUILDING SCHEME. £75,000 INVOLVED. AN ARCADE FROM WILLIS STREET TO BOULCOTT STREET. It is clear that the busiest centre for rebuilding operations during the next year will ho Willis street. A few years ago the Empire Hotel was rebuilt, and after that at long intervals came Morrah’s, and then tiro greatKing’s Cham bens. Another long period elapsed before the next step forward came—the rebuilding of tho Western Hotel, now the almost-completed Grand Hotel, one of the finest and best-appointed licensed houses in the colony. A short time ago a start was made to rebuild on the site of the old Brunswick Restaurant, between the "Empire” and C hew's iane, and a few days ago tho “Mail” published particiuars of a five-story building—“ The Palace” —that is to cover a block extending DU ft southward from Chew s lane.

Hard upon tho announcement of the advent of “The Palace” comes a yet even more ambitious scheme for a building in Willis rtrcct. This consists of the erection of a four-story arcade building—to be known as tho ■Royal Arcade’'—which will practically connect 1 hat. part of Willie street near Grady’s with Beuleott street at the rear. As there is a sheer drop of about fifty or sixty feet at the back of the Willis street premises tiiat are to bo dealt with —the places between Denton’s and Grady’s, occupied by Messrs Brown (stationer'* Rump (jeweller), Arthur (syiimaker), Knigge (restaurant), tho Globe Agency, and the City Umbrella Works —it is hardly possible to build from street to street after the accepted arcade style, .but this difficulty is to be got over very ingeniously by building back to the bank, and raising people to the Boulcoit street level by means of electric elevators, which will on the third floor (fourth story) give access to a paved right-of-way debouching on to Boulcott, (street, just about opposite the Masonic Hall. These lifts will rise in the centre of the rear part of the main building, but .the right-of-way will take a turn to the north, before gaining Bouleott street, as the property in that thoroughfare immediately behind the Arcade is not being acquired by the syndicate. To the north of the right-of-way is to bo erected a big brick three-story building in residential flats, divided for the convenience of tenants into two parts, each of which will have an entrance on to tho right-of-way leading to the Royal Arcade lifts, and while the frontage of this building will bo in Bouleott street, the back will overlook the Willis street buildings and harbour. Tho Royal Arcade proper will bo a substantial brick structure (79ft frontage by 110 ft depth), with a facade of rod pressed bricks with white stone facings, and having some relation to the Queen Anno style of building ornamentation. A substantial verandah will cover tho pavement, and a roofed balcony will be an additional convenience to tho tenants of the first floor. Tho Arcade or publio way through the building will take tho form of a horseshoe—the two entrances from Willis street being the heel-butts of tho shoo, and tho apex of tho bend the point wbero the two “froo public” elevators will rise to the heights above. The ground floor will have four shops fronting Willis street, each with a circular corner abutting on to an entrance to tho Arcade. These entrances will be 9ft Gin wide between the front shops, but on passing those places will widen to 14ft in width. The frontage shops will be fine largo places (13ft by 28ft), and immediately behind them in eacli entrance will be a passengerelevator leading to the other flats. The Arcade, which will havo a tiled flooring, will be flanked with small shops (12ffc by 12ft), while at the extreme rear will be two large apartments (23ft by 48ft and 23ft by 27ft) that will be very well suited for many purposes. Between these two largo apartments will rise the main staircase and the publio passenger-elevators—-so that there will be two electric lifts for passengers at each end of the building. The first floor is laid out practically on the same principle as the ground floor, but for the railecl-off open well to admit the light below, which will bo assisted by the passage that encircles the well, in the construction of which a good deal of prism-glass is to ho used. There will be nineteen apartments in all on this flat—fino large rooms on the front opening out on to a spacious balcony, and a number of offices surrounding th e central light-well. On the second floor there will be eight offices in the front, and five at the rear, the intervening space being occupied by a great circular glass? roof. There are eight offices only on the top floor —at tho Willis street end—the central part of this flat accommodates the top arch of this great light-concentrating glass dome, and the rear is made the arriving and departing platform for the public, who will use the staircase or the lifts to gain Bouleott street and the Terrace

from tho city, and to whom this big venture should bo a boon. Naturally, tho object is to get as many people as possible to pass through the Arcade in the interests of tenants, and by relieving the Terraoo-dwelling people of tho walk up Bouleott street or Piimmer’s steps that object, should to a great extent be achieved. The building is to bo fitted throughout with electric light, and will be heated with hot-air radiators. The architects for the buildings, Messrs Maisey and Johns, expect to be ready to call for tenders for the erection of the Royal Arcade by the end of the present month. Tho total cost of the venture —land and buildings—will involve an estimated expenditure of about £75,000.