Pretoria City Hall

A civic centre for Pretoria.

The first Town Hall

Pretoria was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, who named the town after his father, the Voortrekker general Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius. Pretoria’s first Town Hall was positioned on the northwest corner of Church Square and was demolished in 1894 to make way for the Palace of Justice.

The second Town Hall

The second town hall, which was located on Pretorius Street, was demolished in 1973.

The City Hall

An architectural competition was launched in 1926 for the design of a new City Hall, and city status was awarded to Pretoria in 1931. Out of 42 design entries, the winner was announced to be Joseph Lockwood Hall (architect at the Public Works Department) in collaboration with F.G. McIntosh.

Cornerstones were laid in 1931 by the administrator of the Transvaal, J.J.S. Smith, and by the Governor General of the Union, the Earl of Clarendon. The building was inaugurated on 6 December 1935 by Chief Justice Sir Johannes Wessels. A brass plaque in the foyer commemorates the event. The building contained two potential performance spaces, the vast and ornate main hall and the Pretorius Hall. Both were used for theatrical and musical performances, as well as meetings, dances, assemblies, political rallies and the like.

A notable feature is the centrally located clock tower which houses a clock and carillon (German for glockenspiel) that was built by the Deagan Company of Chicago Illinois USA. A carillon is a pitched percussion instrument played with a keyboard and consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order for a harmonious sound effect.

Many notable artworks decorate the building. Murals by the South African muralist and illustrator Jan Juta (1895-1990) depicting scenes of early settlers and reliefs of indigenous fauna and flora are found throughout the interior rooms and spaces. Artworks were donated to the City by John J. Kirkness, owner of the Kirkness Brick & Tile Factory in Groenkloof, Pretoria.

The grand organ in the Pretoria City Hall main hall is one of South Africa’s most impressive and valuable cultural assets. The organ (dating from 1933) was designed and built in Chicago by the American piano and organ company, W.W. Kimbal, at a cost of £22,000. This is the only Kimbal organ installed outside of the United States and was the second largest organ in the Southern Hemisphere at the time of installation. The console was on display in their shop in Chicago before being shipped out to South Africa, where many organ enthusiasts and laymen marveled at its intricate design. The organ is also capable of producing the sounds of drums, cymbals, a harp, and a xylophone, and consists of approximately 6,000 pipes, 4 swell pedals, 144 stop knobs, 72 thumb pistons, 21 toe pistons, a percussion section, and a French horn division – the only one of its kind in South Africa.

In 1940, under pressure from Volksteater and the Pretoria Repertory Theatre, the City Coucil upgraded the Pretorius Hall for play productions by enlarging the stage and improving the lighting system.

On 29 March 1947, the royal family (King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth II, and Princess Margret) visited Pretoria City Hall during their royal tour, where they attended a state banquet that was held in their honor.

Current status

This iconic and historic building has been closed to the public since 2016 and a security fence was erected along the perimeter of Pretorius Square, leaving the public space inaccessible to the residents of Pretoria.

Productions

Among the theatrical groups that used them over the years were Ons Teatertjie-toneelgroep, Volksteater, Pretoria Repertory Theatre.

Sources

https://hparchitects.co.za/projects/building-conservation/pretoria-city-hall

Return to

Return to South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page