Pretoria City Hall

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Pretoria City Hall (1988)

The Pretoria City Hall is located in the South African capital Pretoria (English: City Hall ; Afrikaans : Stadsaal ) in the southern section of Paul Krugerstraat between the Kerkplein and the main train station , opposite the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History .

history

A first town hall was built in 1905 in the Pretoriusstraat. FG McIntosh won the tender to build a new town hall in 1926. “Drooge Klip Bult”, an open space, was selected as the location. Due to the economic crisis , construction did not begin until 1931. The foundation stone was laid on October 14th in the presence of the then Governor General George Villiers . Since McIntosh had died in the meantime, his assistant John Lockwood Hall took over the construction management. On December 6, 1935, the town hall was inaugurated by Judge Johannes Wessels and Mayor Ivan Solomon.

When Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality was formed on December 5, 2000 , City Hall remained the seat of the mayor.

Architecture and equipment

The building dimensions follow Italian-inspired models from the 1920s and 1930s for public buildings. In the tympanum of the mighty portico above the main entrance with its outside staircase there is a sculpture relief by the sculptor Coert Steynberg, who was extensively active in South Africa . In the 47 meter high tower of the town hall there is a carillon of 32 bells donated by George Heys, the former owner of the Melrose House . The facade of the tower is decorated with Art Deco ornaments.

The foyer is decorated with large paintings. Several hundred people can be seated in the main hall. Next to the stage is an organ, also donated by George Heys.

Three statues were placed in the park in front of the town hall. The 6.2 meter high bronze statue in front of the town hall with Chief Tshwane, the namesake of the metropolitan community, was inaugurated in 2006.

At the eastern end of the rectangular fountain is the equestrian statue dedicated to the patron saint of the city Andries Pretorius (1798–1853) . The statue of the city's founder Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (1819–1901) is to the east in front of it.

Web links

Commons : Pretoria City Hall  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Pretoria, South Africa - City and Town Halls on Waymarking.com. . In: waymarking.com . Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  2. ^ City Hall, Pretoria. . In: sahistory.org.za . Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  3. ^ A b Désirée Picton-Seymour, Janek Szymanowski: Historical Buildings in South Africa . Struikhof, Cape Town 1989, pp. 170-171, ISBN 0-947458-01-8
  4. ↑ Pretoria Timeline 1800-2009. . In: sahistory.org.za . Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Pretoria City Hall. . In: gopretoria.co.za . Retrieved October 9, 2015.

Coordinates: 25 ° 45 ′ 11 ″  S , 28 ° 11 ′ 14 ″  O