“ART UNION” HOUSE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24631, 12 June 1941, Page 6

“ART UNION” HOUSE

SEVEN MONTHS IN BUILDING COMPLETION IN FORTNIGHT On November 30, 1940, the art union for a £3500 house, which was conducted to raise funds for the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council, was drawn, the winner being Mrs J. R. Nicholson, of 73 Bayview road. St. Kilda. Now, alter having been over seven months in building, the house, which is situased at the junction of Heriot row and Pitt street, is within about a fortnight of completion. The fibrus'plasterers and painters are now doing their share of the work and. when they and the City Council, which is to put the grounds in order, have departed, the house will be nearly ready for the winner to take possession. It is possible that the house, when completed, will' be thrown open lop public inspection for a short period. The house has taken a long time to build. The day before the drawing of me art union the chairman of the Patriotic House Committee (Mr H. McDowell Smith) assured the public tnat the house would be completed in January. A month’s work had been done, and half the brickwork was then erected. . A , , .. „ Events beyond the control of the chairman of the committee, however, have delayed the completion of-the work. Twenty-three trades and suppliers of materials participated m the work.’At that time many of the trades were experiencing a slack period, but as time went on, their businesses picked up, and in many cases more remunerative work than the art union house was undertaken. The number of workmen expected to be available dwindled, too, as outside buildings operations livened, and also because of enlistments! All thpse tradesmen who had promised to supply materials did so, but the chief difficulty was to get an opportunity to complete the buuaing of the house. Now, how’ever, the end is in sight.