THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.

It is quite unnecessary to give a detailed account regarding the first proposal in connection with the erection of the Agricultural Hall; suffice to say that the committee of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society soon recognised that if their winter show were to be continued it would be absolutely necessary that provision be made for a larger and more suitable build-

ing. Immediately after last year's show (on June 20) the' executive decided to approach the Government, and a petition was duly prepared and presented to the Premier respectfully urging them to grant a subsidy, and after a considerable amount of delay a reply was< received that the Government regretted that they could not grant any immediate assistance. Nothing daunted, the matter was agjaim discussed at a meeting of committee held on January 18, and on the motion of the Hon. Thomas Fergus it was decided that an agricultural hall) be erected in Dunedin provided' that a satisfactory leasehold could be obtained, and a sub-commiltee was^ appointed to make inquiries. At a special meeting held a week later Mr Fergus (in the chair) reported that the members of the Otago Harbour Board at once recognised the many advantages the agricultural community would receive if a suitable building was erected, and bad agreed to grant a lease on most reasonable terms. The proposal was then taken up with great enthusiasm by several of our leading citizens, and Mr Thomas Brydone, who has always taken a-lead-ing part in all agricultural matters, gave the proposal a start by at once agreeing to take up £500 worth of debentures, and this example has been followed by a large number of ouv business men, and we now understand that most of the required sr-m has been subscribed. On March 4 the leasehold was obtained, and on the following Saturday the company was formed and registered, Mr James Hislop appointed architect, and to-day the foundation stone has been duly laid. It is certainly quite gratifying t& find that we

have in our midst such a large number of gentlemen who are prepared to devote their time and subscribe largely by taking up debentures, with no possibility of gain, but with the desire of benefiting the community by having an agricultural hall erected in this city. From a perusal of the following two clauses in the articles of the association it will be seen that it is the intention of the promoters to hand over the building and property to the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society. (c) To apply the rents and otber moneys received by the company after payment of all expenses in paying off the debts of and moneys borrowed by the company, and thereupon to hand over the property of the company to the Agricultural and Pastoral Society of Otago if that body shall then be in existence, and if not, to some public body to be determined by the members for the time being, or, in default, by the Supreme Court of New Zealand. (/) The income and property of the company, whencesoever derived, shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objects of the company as set forth in the memorandum of association, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus, or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the members of the company. The Agricultural Hall, of which the foundation stone has .this week been laid, will, as a glance at the sketch in this issue will conclusively show, be a very substantial and, indeed, imposing building, and totally unlike the rude barn-like structure which, when the project was first mooted, it was freely anticipated it would be. It will be, as a matter of fact, when erected, from an architectural point of view, a handsome addition to the city. The building, which is to occupy the site (frequently the scene of circus entertainments) immediately adjoining the Harbour Board offices, and running

from Crawford street right through to the overbridge, will be distinctly ornate in its character. It will mark a new departure in regard to architecture in l)unedin. It will be in the Renaissance style, with stone facings, cornices, and pilasters, and a rubbedbrick background. There will be a frontage of 150 ft to Crawford street, and the height of the building from the footpath to the parapet will be 39ft, the height from the footpath to the top of the highest pediment being 55ft. The front will be broken up with four pediments, and of these, two (which will be large ones) are to be projected in the shape of oriels, one of them forming a band rotunda. Each pediment will be surmounted by a flagpole, Five large doors, for the purpose of entrance and exit to and from the halls, will be provided for in Crawford street. An extra large doorway, about 15ft wide byJ6ft high, is to be at the southernmost end, so as to allow of the admission of machinery of any description into the less elaborate of the two halls that are to be constructed on the ground floor. Jhe Vogel street frontage will, of course, be carried out in a plainer style than that to be adopted in the Crawford street frontage. The spaces between the five different entrances with which the latter frontage will, as has just been stated, be broken up are to be utilised for offices. Close to the entrance nearest Jetty street will be two offices, the dimensiots of each being 23ft 3in by 10ft 6in, with alcoves in each measuring Bft 9in by sft Gin, and a strong room in one of them. Another office will be 23ft 3in by 17ft, and a back office, 10ft square, and a strong room, lift by 7ft 6in, will be connected with it. Three other offices will respectively measure 29ft by 17ft, 29ft by 14ft 6in, and 29ft by 12ft 6in. There Avili be separate entrances to all of these, and they will be so arranged that it will be possible for them to be let either singly or in suites, as may be required. The main hall on the ground floor will be entered from a corridor 10ft wide in the centre, from a corridor 12ft wide on the north side, or from another 7ft Gin wide at its south end. It will measure 113 ft 6in by 80ft, and the height from the floor to the highest point of the ceiling will be 40ft. At the end nearest Vogel street and running the full width of the hall there will be a stage, 16ft deep, just sufficient room being left to allow of an exit door into Vogel street, the convenience of country visitors' being thus studied in that provision is to be made for their getting with the least possible delay from the hall to the railway station. In this connection it may be incidentally remarked that, for means of entrance and exit, the new Agricultural Hall will certainly be found to be second to no other building in this colony. Every door in the structure will open outwards, the doors being recessed back a sufficient distance to allow of this without causing a projection on to the footpaths. Off the stage, and at the rear of the second hall, there will be retiring rooms for ladies and gentlemen, each being supplied with all conveniences. The ladies' room will be 20ft by 13ft, and the dimensions of the gentlemen's room, which will be entered from a corridor distinct from that giving access to the ladies' room, will be 18ft by 17ft. The main hall is to have a gallery running across the back to a width of 18ft, and along the sides to a width of lift. This gallery will be approached by a flight of stairs from the north end of the building, and by another from the south end of the hall, the stairs being Bft wide in each case, and there will be a good landing at the head of each flight. Off the corridor at the top of the stairs will be the committee room and farmers' reading room, which will be 55ft by 19ft 6in, and an office measuring 19ft 6in by 17ft 3in. There will also be in this part of the building a corn exchange, the dimensions of which will be 62 Et 6in by 41ft. Between the latter and the committee room will be the recess for the accommodation of the band. Off the south gallery, at the back near Vogel street, there will be an extra stair for use in case of emergency, and off this are to be the caretaker's rooms, measuring respectively 19ft by 12ft 9in, 12ft 9in by 14ft, and 14Et by 12ft 9in, with a cement landing at the end, which will be available for various purposes connected with the hall. The foregoing will give a general idea of the arrangement, both down and upstairs, of the main hall, off which there is to be, on the ground floor, another hall of a plainer description. The length of this hall will be 100 ft, its width 62ft, and its height 32ft, and it will be finished with a clay floor and

a curved iron roof, old railway iron being used for the principals. This hall will suit certain classes of shows for which such elaborate accommodation as that provided in the main hall will not be required. It will be connected however, with the main hall by three large openings, so that the two halls may be virtually thrown into one in . the event of any large exhibition being held in the building ; or, if it should be . necessary, these two halls may be utilised in conjunction with the Corn Exchange upstairs, a total floor space of about 23,000 square feet being thus made available. Off the second hall arid at the rear of it the conveniences for the front offices will be provided. The drainage will be all carried out on a perfect system in such a way that if anything should go wrong it may be readily righted. The drains, which will connect with the Crawford street sewer, will be fitted with inspection chambers at frequent distances, so as to be easily under control. The building will be very substantial in character, and will be constructed entirely of brick on a concrete foundation. It will be roofed with iron, felt being laid underneath t.o deaden the noise and resist moisture. The walls of the main hall and of the Corn Exchange will be dadoed,to a height of sft with red pine, and above that level will be plastered. The roof will be constructed of iron principals — that is to say, there will be rolled iron rafters and angle and T iron struts, most of which will be concealed by the wooden portion of the roof. The latter portion will start with a cove from the main wall, and will be broken up in a very neat way, and one that, while producing a pleasing effect, will also be calculated to give the best results from an acoustic point of view. The acoustics will be benefited, moreover, by the fact that no part of the interior of the building will be recessed in any way. The roof will be nicely lined in the several portions round the different coves, and will be broken up into bays alternated with glass and wooden panels. The main ball will be lighted from the roof by 12 9ft by 7ft skj/ lights and by 10 7ft by 4f b 6in skylights, or 22 lights in all, all being glazed with Helliwell's patent bars. The portion below one row of these skylights will be glazed with ornamental glass, arranged and recessed in patterns so as to give an attractive appearance, and at the same time afford means of ventilation. The gallery will be framed in a neat and strong manner, well secured to the walls, and hung up to the roof at several points, and it will be stepped so as to give three rows of seating at each side and six rows at the back. The front of the gallery is to be finished with an ornamental cast iron railing, moulded cornice, and panelled frieze, and the soffit will be neatly lined diagonally in^bays with mouldings running up the principals. The hall is to be ventilated in the centre of the roof by six outlet ventilators, and in the walls of the hall and gallery there will be an ample supply of down-draught and updraught ventilators, which should give very good results when the building is completed. The Corn Exchange, on the same floor level as the gallery, is to be finished on very much the same lines as those to be followed in the main hall, and it is to be thoroughly well lighted. This portion of the building will probably serve a very useful purpose, and be utilised for wool sales. The committee rooms and offices will be plastered throughout, well ventilated, and supplied with every convenience. The caretaker's and retiring rooms will also be finished in such a way that the comfort of those by whom they will be used will be found to be carefully studied. The second of the halls on the ground floor will be lighted by 16 skylights of the same description as those to be used in the main hall. A feature in connection with the building will be the night lighting, for electricity is to be the agency employed in the different halls. The question of the plant for this purpose is no w under the consideration of the directors and architect. The adoption of the electric system of lighting will save a great deal in the way of heat, and will tend to the promotion of-the comfort of persons in the halls, ' while it will also prove -beneficial inasmuch as certain ..exhibits; will not be prejudicially affected as they would be by gas. The various sections of the building will, it appears from the plans, dovetail admirably one with another, and in that respect the Agricultural Hall will, it may be expected, prove to be exceedingly convenient. . The concrete foundations of the hall are now in and a start is being made with the brickwork. The material for the

work is coming to hand satisfactorily, and the order for the ironwork for the roof is in hand, so that no time is being lost. The building is to be quite completed and out of the contractor's hands on March 16 next, and there is every likelihood that the halls, though

not altogether finished, will be available for shows by November next. Mr Samuel Aburn is the contractor, and Mr J. Burton is the clerk of works. The plans were prepared by Mr James Hislop, architect, under whose supervision the building is being erected.