The Daily Telegraph Building was built in 1932 to designs by architect E A Williams. It is a symmetrical two storey building with a central section sporting a small balcony and topped with a flagpole.The balcony has an iron balustrade with a geometric pattern which reminds me of some of the decoration on the Hoover Building in west London. The rest of the building is beautifully decorated. Columns between each window are crowned with a complex arrangement of curves and arches separated from the smooth render of the columns by a zig-zag band.
A repeating pattern of short vertical blocks are separated with larger blocks at regular intervals. The name of the newspaper which occupies the building is spelt out in large letters across the whole façade. The decoration continues inside around the cornice of the main rooms and at the top of the internal supporting columns and interior lights.The Daily Telegraph Building is a great Art Deco building and one of the highlights of Napier, New Zealand’s Art Deco city.
I love Art Deco! It's a shame that the architects of today don't show any imagination or sense of style and design in their work today. I almost hate to see a new building go up because I know it is going to only be another boring copy of a box or what looks cheap and popular today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these. It is a delight to look at your blog!
Thank you Cecelia
ReplyDeleteThere are a few interesting new buildings around but I agree far too many of them are just a square box. Especially smaller buildings. They all just seem to be mass-produced totally functional. There are so many great small buildings from earlier times.
kia ora David, im doing a school assignment on art deco buildings in Napier. do you think you would be able to answer a some questions to help me through my assignment?
ReplyDeleteHi Ashleigh,
DeleteI'm happy to help if I can. Email me your questions but the Art Deco Trust in Napier will know much more than I do. (http://www.artdeconapier.com)