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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

Rennie And Pearce

Rennie And Pearce (William Rennie and Herbert Pearce), Builders and Contractors, 142 Lower High Street, Christchurch. This business was established in 1888. Many large and important buildings in and around Christchurch have been erected by Messrs Rennie and Pearce, who were the builders of Mr. Allan McLean's residence in Manchester Street, which has the reputation of being the largest private residence in New Zealand. It contains over fifty rooms with offices. The dining room measures 35 feet by 24 feet, the main hall 40 feet by 30 feet, and there is a massive staircase of beautiful design. The installation of the electric light throughout the building is in harmony with the interior fittings and decorations, and the elegant electroliers give an artistic finish to the rooms. There are over 300 electric lamps throughout the buildings. There is a large underground concrete tank, which holds 22,000 gallons of water, for use in case of fire, and also to conserve all the rain water which falls on the house. The Canterbury Hall, another of the firm's contracts, is one of the largest halls in New Zealand, and over one million bricks were used in its construction. The principal page 295 rafters, some of which weigh four tons and have a span of 72 feet, were put together on the ground, and had to be raised and placed in position by the aid of powerful winches and tackle; a work requiring a considerable amount of engineering skill and experience. The fireproof steel ceiling is a feature of the building, and is one of the first erected in the colony. Besides erecting the main hall, Messrs Rennie and Pearce built the annexes for the exhibition, and 750,000 feet of timber, 96,000 feet of flooring, and 47 tons of iron were used in the construction. They also built Mr. Peacock's Buildings in Gloucester Street, Messrs H. Quane and Co.'s in Lichfield Street, Fisher's Buildings in Cashel Street, the Farmers' Co-operative Insurance, Cashel Street, the Mission Hall in Durham Street, and other noteworthy places. Messrs Rennie and Pearce have also built a very large number of private residences throughout the city and suburbs. They decorated the streets for Jubilee Day, and also for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York, in June, 1901. At the present time (May, 1902) the firm has the contract for the Bank of Australasia, in Mount Somers brick and stone. The building, when finished, will be one of the finest pieces of architecture in Caristchurch.