Blog 5: Locovisual

The building in Wellington that I’ve choose to research is the Railway station, since I use the train to commute during the week, it’s a building that I always use and in my opinion it shows a great example of historic architectural style. The first Wellington Railway station was built in 1874 until it got burnt down in 1878 which was replaced in 1880; the station that’s there now was opened in June of 1937 by the Governor General, Viscount Galway.

The styles that best describe the design of this building are neoclassical/classical and Rococo, these styles have influenced the designers and developers that The Fletcher construction company lead, who are Gray young, Morton and Young.

As you can see in the picture of the station, it gives you a similarity appearance of the Parthenon; by focusing at those pillars on the Railway Station it’s got the same light creamy colour to it just like the pillars on the Parthenon which evidences both neo/classical styles. Symmetry form again symbolizes Neo/classical style and the Parthenon and station are in that form as you can see. “Symmetry, geometric forms, and decorative motifs such as swags, urns, and lyres were combined in the architecture of the period” (Allison Eckardt Ledes, 2000, p.1).

Since Rococo style associate with curvilinear and organic forms, the details around the clock on the Railway station building best describes those forms. Those designs around that clock are organic leaves attached onto two leaf stems and those stems evidence the curvilinear form because it’s got that curve design look to it.

Wellington station is like a one of a kind historic structured railway station in New Zealand and there are probably no other stations that’s design like this one here.

Resources

-          Gauvin, A.B. (2012). (Baroque and Rococo (Arts & Ideas)). Unknown:  Phaidon Press Ltd.

-          Allison, E.L. (2000). Neoclassical architecture. The Magazine Antiques, 158(4), 2. Unknown

-          Cracken, H. (2008). Wellington Railway Station. New Zealand Historic Places Trust Pouhere Taonga.

http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=1452&m=Advanced