The City of Auckland, New Zealand, 1840-1920Barr, John
History
The City of Auckland, New Zealand, 1840-1920
Barr, John
Auckland (N.Z.) -- History
Shortly afterwards the Council came into possession of the Parliament
buildings, which had latterly been used by the Provincial Council, and,
with additions along Eden Street, these premises, rich in historic
association, but wholly inadequate and unsuitable for a college, had
perforce to serve their purpose until 1917, when the buildings were
taken over by the City Council in connection with the Anzac Avenue
roadway, forcing the College Council to find other quarters. These
were found in the old Grammar School buildings, Symonds Street, where
provision was made for the Arts, Law, Commerce and Music faculties; the
Science departments were accommodated on a site adjoining Government
House grounds, which belonged to the College, and here a two-storey
building was erected, in the design of which the architects, Messrs.
Goldsbro' and Cumming utilised the old Choral Hall. The building
was officially opened on June 7th, 1919, by the Acting-Premier, Sir
James Allen. The contract for the building and alterations was let for
£14,767. Fittings and scientific equipment absorbed another £10,000.
The one thing which has stood in the path of the progress of the
college has been local disruption with regard to the site. This
question has been discussed time after time. The dispute is now
settled, and the ground adjoining the Science block was secured in
1919. Competitive designs were invited for a modern building, and
the plan of Messrs. Lippincott and Billson, Melbourne, which it is
estimated will cost £97,000, was accepted. The building is expected to
be completed in 1925.
Much credit is due to Mr. T. W. Leys, who succeeded Sir Maurice O'Rorke
as Chairman of the College Council, for the position which now obtains
in local university affairs, for it is largely due to his energy that
the site question has been settled and the future of the college placed
on a satisfactory basis. In recognition of his services to university
education, the McGill University of Toronto, in 1920, conferred on him
the degree of LL.D.
The most important among the few endowments which the college has
received was the gift of £3000 made by Mr. Thomas Bannatyne Gillies, a
Judge of the Supreme Court, for the purpose of endowing two scientific
scholarships, to be named respectively the Sinclair and Gillies
Scholarships.
[Illustration: View of Auckland from Rangitoto Island (960 feet high)
Showing North Head, Devonport, in the middle distance and the City and
Waitakere Ranges in the background ]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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