CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20190, 30 August 1927, Page 4

CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

NEW MORAY PLACE BUILDINGS. VALUABLE SITE TRANSFORMED. Valuable flats of up-to-date city offices are at present nearing completion in the shell of the old Technical College in Moray place. They promise to provide a Welcome addition to Dunedin’s central business area, and will do much towards exploiting lower Moray place as an ideal locality; quiet and exclusive, yet at the hub of the city. After the Technical College was removed from the building opposite the Municipal Baths to upper Stuart street, it become obvious to Dunedin business men that the discarded premises offered an excellent investment for a man with sufficient capital and enterprise to adapt the building to the requirements of modern business. For sqme time no definite step was taken, but'-, eventually the building, together with a quarter of an acre of land, was acquired bv Mr 'H. F. Marshall, the well-known ex-Dunedin chemist, who, for the past seven vears, has been a resident in Sydney. As a result of his observations in the Australian metropolis, Mr Marshall realised the dearth of properly planned and realy modern offices in Dunedin, and he arranged for the construction of what will be known henceforth as the Marshall Chambers. In order that he may be closely in touch with the work, Mr Marshall is making an extended stay in Dunedin, but only the finishing touches have now to be added to the investment, and already the chambers have begun to absorb their share of the business population. Those who remember the building in its original form will have difficulty in associating with it the neat and luxurious flats which have been constructed on each of the three floors. To all intents. and purposes it is a new building, with beautifully finished offices facing Moray place, and factory rooms containing machinery of a suitably quiet type at the rear. The vestibule and entrance hall are lined with marble, making a palatial portal from the verandah-shaded footpath to the interior. The swing doors and wood fittings are of Queensland maple, while both in the vestibule and throughout the building class has _ been introduced at every point possible to secure the maximum lighting. The latest type of safety elevator has been installed, and one of the special features of the new premises is its generous equipment of lavatories and strong rooms on every floor. The lighting system is most comprehensive, and there are electric points in each of the rooms .On all floors the rooms have been made in varying sizes, and there are two large halls on the ground and first floors. The hall on the first floor is the Embassy Cabaret an attractively fitted hall containing every facility for comfort and recreation. Italian alabaster dish lights of striking design are used throughout the hall, lounge, and approaches.