Pretoria City Hall

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Pretoria City Hall
Pretoria Stadsaal
Old Pretoria City Hall-003.jpg
Pretoria City Hall as seen from Pretorius Square.
OpenStreetMap Central Pretoria.png
Red pog.svg
Location in central Pretoria
South Africa Gauteng location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pretoria City Hall (Gauteng)
General information
StatusRecently restored
Type City Hall
Architectural style Semi-Italian classical style [1]
Address Paul Kruger street
Town or cityPretoria
CountrySouth Africa
Coordinates 25°45′12″S28°11′13″E / 25.75333°S 28.18694°E / -25.75333; 28.18694 Coordinates: 25°45′12″S28°11′13″E / 25.75333°S 28.18694°E / -25.75333; 28.18694
Construction started1931
Completed1935
Owner City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
References
http://gopretoria.co.za/pretoria-city-hall
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The City Hall in 1988
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Close-up view of the portico

Pretoria City Hall is a large building in Pretoria city centre, South Africa, which was built in 1931 and inaugurated in 1935 in order to celebrate the city-status of Pretoria obtained in 1931. [2] It is located on the Paul Kruger Street south of Church Square and across the street from the Transvaal Museum.

Contents

History

In 1926 a competition was held to design the future city hall of Pretoria and the winning design was by F.G. McIntosh. Due to the economic difficulties of the then South African Republic, construction of the City Hall started in 1931 and was completed in 1935. [3]

The Hall was completed in the Semi-Italian classical style and a George Heys, the former owner of Melrose House donated the 32 tower bells found in the hall today. [4]

Pretorius Square

The Pretorius Square lies in front of the building including fountains and maintained gardens. Three statues of significant figures decorate the park;

Contemporary use

The hall used to serve as a venue for concerts and organized events including weddings. The main auditorium has a large stage and was used for classical music concerts and many other social events. But since 2016, it has been closed to the general use of the public. It seems that the current council has no intention of opening it up to the public ever again. [5]

Future use

TBA

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References