Nathan's Buildings, Wellington.

Progress, 1 October 1907, Page 442

Nathan's Buildings, Wellington.

It is significant of the growth of the city of Wellington that an immense warehouse, such as we illustrate on this page, should have opened its doors recently for the accommodation of the owners, Messrs. Joseph Nathan & Co., and of those enterprising firms who, requiring the maximum of convenience and cc ntrality in carrying on their affairs, have become Messrs. Nathan's tenants in the new building. |i "I > 58r ] The structure i s 100' x 100' x 100' and cost £40,000. The foundations are of concrete carried down to the rock, which was carefully cleaned before depositing the concrete. A large amount of water was, not unexpectedly, met with, the difficulty being overcome by the use of centrifugal pumps. Of bricks used in the pile there were no less than 1,250,000, which establishes a record for any building in Wellington, with the exception of the Town Hall. The amount of ironwork in connection with the girders and stanchions totalled more than 300 tons, and the building is as fireproof as modern materials can make it. All the floors are constructed of concrete with railway -iron closely embedded,

and with hoop-iron laid in the opposite direction they t jar c rendered exceedingly strong in order to carry the heavy weights usually stored in such buildings. Over this foundation kauri flooiing is laid. No less than 300 tons of railway iron were placed in the floors. The columns and stanchions received special attention from the architect, and are composed of one large steel joist and two small ones closely riveted together and encased with concrete, which makes it impossible for fire to reach the most vital part of the building. All the internal walls throughout, with the exception of the brick

party walls, are also constructed of concrete with iron rods, barbed wire and wire netting embedded in them. The roof is constructed of heavy Oregon timber, on top of which a platform runs along the full length of Featherston and Grey streets. The ceiling of the top flooi is covered with asbestos sheeting so as to prevent any chance of file getting into the roof. In the main vestibule, which is 30' x 14' is a revolving door of cedar in the latest dust and draughtproof design. The floor is tiled as are also the stair landings.

The main stairs, of which there are four, are constructed of concrete and railway-iron with cast-iron continuous-rail balustrading in artistic design. The whole of the stairs throughout are of cement, coated with a mixture of red oxides, which lends a nice warm tone. The Mosaic tiles on ground, first, and second floors were a part of the plasterers' contract, and later contracts to the value of £800 were let to the plasterers, including fibrous cornices and ceilings for the entire building. The whole of the plastering work was finished and handed over six months inside of thp contract time. The elecric lifts are no less than five in number, and are instailed in different parts of the structure. Two go up the main stair- well, side by side, and are of the latest construction, the first of their kind to be fitted in New Zealand. In addition, there are two electric hoists in the light area. The joinery, with the exception of the lobbies and main entrance has been completed out of specially selected figured heart of rimu, while the main entrance and lobby are of Sydney cedar. All locks and furniture, which were specially imported for the building, are of the most elaborate and expensive type, and every office is fitted with Yale locks. Fire escapes are provided on the outside of the building, There are two in "the light area of very solid construction. The gas lighting in the building has been thoroughly carried out, there being sufficient lights for the illumination of a small town. All the latest appliances have been called into service, the byepass system being extensively used, s o that light can be turned on by a switch in the same manner as the electric light. This system is a great improvement on the old method. Gas stoves are built in all the offices. Another new departure installed is the Roberts patent window, which has been put in throughout both front elevations. The special features of this window are its simplicity of construction, accessibility, and the ensuring of perfect ventilation — a very important item in such high buildings. The Venetian blinds on the windows of the ground floor are the largest that have ever been made in Wellington, measuring 8 feet 11 inches in width, and fitted with Beaumont four-pull actions.

The building itself is really divided into three separate departments, theportion nearest the Imperial Chambers being occupied by the owners. ' On the ground floor is situated their general office, a most imposing chamber 35 feet x 30 feet. This office has a fine tiled entrance and corridor with figured rimu dadoes, glass screens on either side, and richly ornamented columns and ceilings. The strong-room, situated right at the rear of the building, is a very large apartment. Upstairs are the private offices, samplerooms, store, etc., which are accessible by either staircase or lift. The first, second, and third floors above are subdivided into suites of»offices to suit tenants, and have fine corridors well lighted. Quite a modern arrangement is to be seen in the excellent system of telephones, there being complete communication with every office in the building. The main exchange in the vestibule will be noticed to the left of our illustration. Another exceedingly pleasing feature of the building is the handsome grille work surrounding the lift-wells, which has been designed and executed in Wellington. The Richard patent collapsible gate is fitted to all lift entrances. Contrary to the general rule the contractors succeeded in completing their work six months before the expiration of contract time. This feat, considering the large amount of money involved, speaks well for the energy

and system displayed by the contractors, and Messrs. Nathan recognised this by handing over to them a bonus of £500. The architect was J. Charlesworth ; clerk of works, J. Dawson ; contractors, Sanders Brothers ; electric lifts, H. Moult ;. electric light and telephones, Andrews and Manthel ; plastering, Foley and Sons ; plumbing, Jenkins and Mack ; painting, J. E. Standidge and Co. ; blinds, W. Gee and Co. ; grille work, George Richard.

THe contractors have commenced work upon the large additions to the wool store (No. 2) at Port Ahuriri, for Messrs. Palgety and Co., I^td. The additions consist of an extension of 78 feet to the West-quay front, by a depth of 150 feet, making a total flcor space of the building for storage purposes just under 23,000 superficial feet. The whole store is splendidly lighted by means of a saw-tooth roof. By the way, the saw-tooth roof of the first section of this building, completed in 1899, was the first roof of its kind erected in Napier. The south wall, which will probably be a " party wall," is to be erected in ferro-concrete, exact specifications and details for which, together with the ferroconcrete foundations and sole plates (under the blocks) were drawn up by the architect, C. Tilleard Natusch ; contractors, Bull Bros., Napier.

lii reply to a resolution passed by the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce that the time has arrived for a through night service between Dunedin and Christchurch, the Acting Minister of Railways states that such a service is impracticable at present. When through connection between Wellington and Auckland has been established a proposal will be considered in connection with a through service from south to north. ****** There exists a stone which, it is said, unfailingly foretells changes in the weather. This stone was found in Finland many years ago by an explorer, and has since been watched by scientists with interest. It presents a white mottled appearance in sunshine, gradually turning from grey to black as a rain storm approaches. The stone is composed of clay, nitre and rock salt. In dry weather the salt in the stone is prominent, but when the air is filled with moisture the salt absorbs the moisture and turns black, thus forming the barometer.