Building in New Zealand.

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 9, 1 July 1911, Page 735

Building in New Zealand.

Remarkable Progress in Auckland. The opening of the new Sacred Heart Convent at Kemuera on June 25th was but the forerunner of many similar public ceremonies which, we are informed, will be performed in Auckland during the next eight months. The large and stately public edifices (we learn from our esteemed contemporary the “N.Z. Herald”) which have been in course of erection for the past two years or more, are now rapidly approaching completion, and the first of these, the Auckland Technical College, will be opened within the next three months. This will be followed in November by the opening of the Town Hall, and it is more than probable that the new chief Post Office and the new Ferry Buildings will be brought into public use by February. When this is done, the reproach frequently levelled at Auckland, that it possessed few, if any, public buildings worthy of the name, will have been removed. The following table is of special interest as showing the total expenditure involved in the erection of public buildings just completed and now approaching completion in Auckland : Town Hall . . . . . . . . . . £121,000 New Chief Post Office . . . . . . 100,000 Hew Ferry Buildings . . . . . . 55,077 New City Electric Power Station . . 31,000 Auckland Technical College . . . . 25,000 Extension - Nurses’ Home . . . . 17,250 Sacred Heart Convent, Remuera . . 15,000 New City Reservoir, Mount Eden . . 7,397 Lyric Theatre, Symonds Street . . 5,200 Masonic Hall, Upper Queen Street . . 4,830 Presbyterian Orphanage, Remuera .. 3,400 Brick Buildings, Costley Home .. 2,465 Additions, Children's Home, Grey Lynn 2,274 Epsom Methodist Church . . . . 1,727 Total £391,620 As the figures given only represent the contract prices for the different structures, it will be seen that when extras are added the grand total might easily be swelled into over £400,000. To those not conversant with Auckland’s building programme these figures may appear somewhat startling, but it is important to note that the erection of a still larger number of public buildings in Auckland is projected for the next decade, involving a still greater expenditure. These contemplated buildings include new University buildings, railway station, Boys’ Grammar School, King’s College, worth Institute, Y.M.C.A. building, Public Trust Office, Law Courts, new auxiliary Post Office in Wellesley Street, Municipal Depot, new Cool Stores, the Naval Stores, Knox Home for Incurables, Trades Hall in Hobson Street, rebuilding of the City

Market, completion of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board’s building programme, enlargement of St. Paul’s Church, Municipal Baths, public schools, etc. Quite a large number of the bigger suburban estates are to be cut up into suitable building allotments shortly, ready to be placed on the market during the coming summer.

Among the larger of these properties is that belonging to Messrs. R. and .W. Hellaby, .at Richmond. This property, which comprises some 33% acres, much of it having a water frontage, is now being surveyed, and tenders will be called ... for shortly for constructing roads through it Another property, comprising 20 acres fronting the Point Chevalier Beach, has been purchased by a small syndicate, and is now being cut up into 79 building allotments.

Steady progress is being made by the Grey Lynn Borough Council with the construction of roads through the Surrey Hills Estate’, and it is expected that the whole of it will be properly roaded within three years’ time. The construction of Selborne and Owen Streets and Williamson Avenue has now been practically completed, thus opening up a large number of allotments.