One of the last large city halls to be built in South Africa, and the second city hall to be built in South Africa. The design was as a result of a winning competition entry by J Lockwood Hall, the other design entries can be seen in a dossier at the Sammy Marx Library. The Building was commissioned after it was felt the growing city of Pretoria would make better use of a larger and grander public gathering space. Although it was said that it was built in the 1930’s, during the depression, partly to create jobs.
The monstrous building in the towered city hall tradition looks out over Pretorius plane with its important historical statues and lily ponds which stretch the length of the forecourt, fountains adding sparkle to a generally sombre facade.
After a significant upgrade earlier this decade, the city hall is in a beautiful condition and after more than seventy years of existence, public events are still held, much to the delight of all living in Pretoria.
The front of the City Hall is beautifully complimented by the gardens and fountains of Pretorius Square. Within these gardens stands three statues. The 6.2 metre tall bronze statue of Chief Tshwane was unveiled in 2006 and shows the namesake of the Tshwane District Municipality. The two other statues are of the Voortrekker leaders Andries Pretorius and his son Marthinus Pretorius. Marthinus founded Pretoria in 1855 and named it after his father.
