Casino Maltese

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The Casino Maltese
Casino Maltese - Knights Treasury - Valletta Malta.jpeg
247, Republic Street, Valletta [1]
Casino Maltese
Former namesGrand Hotel
Alternative namesCasa del Commun Tesoro
General information
StatusIntact
Location Valletta, Malta
Coordinates 35°53′55.3″N14°30′47″E / 35.898694°N 14.51306°E / 35.898694; 14.51306
Current tenantsCasino Maltese
Completedc. 16th–17th centuries
Renovated1914
Technical details
Material Limestone
Floor count2
Renovating team
Architect(s)Nicola Buhagiar and Francesco Mercieca

The Casino Maltese is a private members' club in Valletta founded in 1852. It is housed in a Grade 1 listed building.

Contents

History of the Building

The original building was most likely designed by Girolamo Cassar, Chief Architect of the Knights of St John, following the foundation of Valletta. The Casa del Commun Tesoro originally belonged to the Treasury of the Order of St. John, and it housed the Treasury's accounts, contracts and records.

In 1708, Malta's first proper postal service was established, and a room within the Casa del Commun Tesoro became the island's first post office. The building continued to house the Packet Office until around 1841, when it was transferred to the Banca Giuratale. On 1 April 1849, the Island Post Office was also transferred from the Casa del Commun Tesoro to the Banca Giuratale, which later became known as the General Post Office. [2]

In the early 19th century, the British used the building for a number of public offices, including the Chief Secretary's Office, the office of the Collector of Land Revenue and the Government Treasury. [3]

The building in 1846 Calvert Jones, Main Guard building, Valletta, Malta 1846.jpg
The building in 1846

English poet and writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge worked inside the building between 1804 and 1805. A plaque on the façade of the building was attached by Giovanni Bonello in the commemoration of Coleridge. [4]

It was converted into a hotel in the late 19th century, known as the Grand Hotel. [5]

The structure was extensively modified in 1914 by the architect Nicola Buhagiar. [6]

Foundation 1852

The founding document of the Casino Maltese is dated 1 March 1852. From its earliest years until today, many of its members have played leading roles in Maltese society. The club's motto is 'Omnibus Idem'(Same for All), and its main purpose is to cater for the social gathering and entertainment of its members.

The Club was first located at its current premises on Strada Reale (today Republic Street) between 1859 and 1877, and then again from the first years of the twentieth century onwards.

WWII and the Blitz on Valletta

In an air raid on the 15th February 1942, during World War II, some members of staff lost their lives, and the building sustained extensive damage. <Members and friends, spurred by the spirit of pride in their country, wrote the word “Resurgam” on a board and carried on defiantly.

Notable Guests of the Club

The Sundial

Another interesting feature of the Casino Maltese – The noon-mark Sundial with Analemma. The face of the Sundial (6.1m x 1.9m) includes an Analemma and Zodiacal signs. It marks only noon-time. The present Sundial is a modernised reconstruction of the one that existed up to the last war and which was subsequently destroyed when the wall collapsed due tp enemy action.

An illustrated book on the history of the Casino Maltese can be purchased from the Club.

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References

  1. "IL-GAZZETTA TAL-GVERN 1813-1840" (PDF). Um.edu.mt. Retrieved 19 May 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Maltapost privatisation latest red-letter day in postal history". Times of Malta . 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015.
  3. Miège, Loris (1840). Histoire de Malte: Statistique (in French). Vol. 1. Paulin. pp. 332–333.
  4. Benoit, Marie (9 March 2014). "Marie Benoit's Diary". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  5. "Some 19th Century Hotelsd in Malta" (PDF). Mwelitensiawth.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  6. Denaro, Victor F. (1959). "Houses in Kingsway and Old Bakery Street, Valletta". Melita Historica. 2 (4): 204–205. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.