Nathaniel Young Armstrong Wales

“ The façade is after the Italian style of architecture, boldly treated, and is surmounted with a bell-tower and look-out station, rising to a height of 165 feet, from which visitors can get an extensive view of the city. From there can be seen the numerous tall chimney stalks, emitting dense volumes of smoke, the "stately edifices" towering one over the other up the steep hill sides, upon which the residences of the inhabitants are mainly built, the neat and cleanly painted cottages, surrounded with the tastefully cultivated gardens, or with their flower-plots in front ”

“ During the earlier years of the Province, the discovery of the gold fields and the consequent rapid influx of population, gave such an impetus to buildings, that the town grew mushroom-like to large proportions, and wooden buildings sprang up as if by magic on all sides, with here and there a bank or store of more ornate and substantial pretensions. ”

“ The Boys' High School, a semi-ecclesiastical building, pertaining more to the Domestic Tudor style of mediæval architecture, stands up prominently on the western outskirts, overlooking the harbour. Its interior arrangements consist of a large hall with galleries, surrounded with class-rooms providing accommodation for 450 scholars.
The other school buildings, known as Government schools, of which there are five in the city and several in the suburbs, very much resemble each other in outward appearance and in internal arrangements ”

“ The Lunatic Asylum is the largest public building in the colony. It was designed by Mr R. A. Lawson, after the Scotch Baronial style, and stands on a commanding, though insecure site, overlooking the Pacific Ocean about 20 miles north from Dunedin, presenting an imposing appearance to travellers by land or sea. It was built to accommodate 350 patients, and cost about £80,000. ”

“ Strangers and tourists in search of health or pleasure, or travellers on business bent—and a large number of both classes visit us for the sake of our salubrious climate, or to obtain a share of our trade—all speak highly of our city and of its buildings, and the architectural merit they display. ”

“ Nor would it be becoming of us to boast of the Exhibition building, though we may cherish a latent pride in contemplating the proportions to which it has grown from small beginnings, if we may not enter into comparisons with the vastness and grandeur of the buildings erected for exhibition purposes by our Victorian and New South Wales neighbours. ”

“ Hence town sections bordering on the "belt" are rated at higher values, and outside of this "tapu" boundary the suburbs spread out fan-like, with neat and trim-looking cottages, and well-kept gardens, studding the valleys and hill sides; while nearest to the "belt," both on the town and suburban sides, many of the more successful citizens have built themselves picturesque and commodious villas that add to the beauty and attractiveness of the landscape. ”

“ But the large four-storied building recently erected on the-Dowling-street corner of the same block by the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a boldly conceived Italian design, shares with the Bank of New Zealand, the honours of the situation. While exactly opposite the Bank of New Zealand, the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Company has purchased a site, upon which it is anticipated that a building will be erected which will excel all previous structures. ”

“ Another of these romantic-looking fern tree cottages stood at the corner of London and Pitt-streets, and was originally occupied for many years by Dr Purdie. Sir Francis Dillon Bell, at that time Mr Bell, afterwards became proprietor, and wishing to enlarge the residence, found the old structure in the way, and felt much disposed to raze it to the ground. But being imbued somewhat with archæological tendencies, at last decided to surround it with such accommodation as he required. ”

“ The Bank of Australasia building was originally erected for the Otago Daily Times and Witness Company, and was vacated by that Company for larger premises, their business becoming too extended for the limited accommodation.
The wholesale soft goods warehouses deserve notice. Messrs Ross and Glendining's in Stafford-street, Brown, Ewing and Co.'s in Manse-street, Bing Harris and Co.'s, and Butterworth Bros, and Co.s' in High-street, and Sargood Son and Ewen's in lower High-street, are all large buildings, and present imposing façades. ”

“ Notwithstanding the necessarily flimsy character of many of the buildings erected at that time, a foundation of prosperity was being laid that has enabled the pioneers to replace many of them with commodious and substantial and even handsome structures. ”