 Contact Artefacts | MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | City Hall Everard WHITE: Supervising Architect Mattheus Carel August MEISCHKE: Contractor George Edmond FITZGERALD: Architect Associated Junior Architect HAWKE, McKINLAY and SAYCE: Architect Additions, extensions and alterations (1937) |  | ||||
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Click to view large map Coordinates: | Johannesburg City Hall takes on a new dignity. Two-storey additions provide extended public facilities. New dignity and beauty is being given to the Johannesburg City Hall which, built in 1912 when the Rand City was by no means the metropolis it is today, has gradually become dwarfed in comparison with the tall structures now surrounding it. Johannesburg lost pride in the building. With the growth of the city also, municipal accommodation became overcrowded, so that on November 12, 1937, a contract was signed for the adding of two storeys to the Municipal offices. The cost of the additions is £202,563 [R405 126]. Work was started on November 13, 1937, and it is expected that the work will be completed by the end of April, 1940. Naturally the additions are executed in the same Renaissance [Revival] style of architecture as the old part of the building. This, however, still retains the main architectural motifs, such as columns, porticoes and the heavy ornamental cornice. So far as external features are concerned the additions comprise merely a heightening of the facades by two storeys which have received very simple treatment. On the Rissik Street frontage the end motifs of the existing façade are to be extended to the full height of the building with very little repetition of ornamentation. The central feature provided by the existing domed entrance porch is to be strengthened by a projection of the new facade above it. This will be capped by eaves, and will receive more detailed architectural treatment in harmony with the embellishments on the existing building. One of the main embellishments to be included in this projection is a large stained-glass window bearing the arms of the City. The window will be illuminated from the inside by means of diffused electric lights, and will be easily visible from the outside during the daytime. The main feature on this frontage - the tower - is to be raised 33 feet [13,2m] above its existing height to conform to the new elevation of the building. The effect of the additional two storeys will be to give the building an elevated and dignified appearance. So many tall buildings have been erected in the immediate vicinity of the City Hall within recent years that the latter has become dwarfed in comparison, and certainly not compatible with the civic dignity of Johannesburg. FACING MATERIAL. A flatpan sandstone facing material is being used for the additions and has been taken from the same quarry as the original sandstone used on the existing building. This stone has proved an excellent building material, and has weathered very well except in one or two places where cement has contacted it. Only lime should be used in connection with sandstone. In some places the old stone has deteriorated slightly by reason of the fact that wooden plugs have been knocked in between the points to facilitate the hanging of festoons of lights on festive occasions. This practice has now been forbidden. A point of interest regarding the use of this facing stone is that no attempt is to be made to match the colours of the old and new stones. The old stone on the existing building is of a dark tea-stain colour, while the colour of the new stone is almost white. It is thought in some circles that the old stone should be cleaned or sand-blasted in order that it may be whitened. This, however, is not advisable. The discolouration of the old stone is due to a chemical process by which sandstone forms a hard, weather-proof crust on all exposed surfaces. This crust penetrates into the material to a depth of 1/8th [6mm] of an inch. If this crust were to be chipped off to reveal the white stone underneath, the durable and weather-proof qualities of the material would be ruined. It is highly probable, too, that the old sandstone might not now possess the same chemical properties and be incapable, therefore, of forming a new crust. In about five years' time the new sandstone facing on the additions will be approximately of the same colour as that of the old stone. The plan of the additions conforms to that of the existing building, largely because of the fact that the latter is not a frame construction. It is brick built in the old style and, the floors rest on walls 18 inches [450mm] thick in every case. These rest on foundations of enormous strength. Calculations have proved that the existing structure is capable of withstanding six times the load now being superimposed on it by the new additions. The enormous strength of the building is chiefly attributable to the excellence of the building material and workmanship. No additional strengthening was necessary, except that strong reinforced concrete beams were thrown across the walls, and span the section between the Rissik Street facade and the eastern quadrangle of the building. These beams were put in to prevent any extra weight being thrown on the piers in the Rates Hall. They are 80 feet [24m] long and have a section 4 feet 6 inches [1,35m] by 1 foot 6 inches [450mm]. A gap of about 5 feet [1,5m] separates the beams from the floor of the first additional storey. This space is to be utilised for ducts, pipe lines and electric conduits. PUBLIC FACILITIES. Though comprising mostly municipal offices, the additions include several new facilities of importance to the public. In place of the present roof garden an art gallery for exhibition and other purposes is being built. Exhibitions are held at present in the Selborne Hall which is not adapted to such uses. The art gallery will be 100 feet [30m] by 30 feet [12m] and is to be flanked by two ancillary halls each 30 feet [12m] square. All these rooms will be lit artificially in the latest manner. The pictures will be flooded with light and the spectators will stand in the shadow. By this means disturbing reflections will be avoided. The illumination will be achieved by means of electric lights and reflectors concealed in the ceiling. A large modernly equipped kitchen is also being built so that the largest possible gatherings in the City Hall can be catered for. Attached to the kitchen is a large refrigerated store room. Lifts take the food from the kitchen to all floors. Two liquor bars are included among the additions. They are to be fitted with the latest equipment and refrigerators. Another important addition is that of a staff refreshment room situated on the top floor. The roof of this refreshment room is being fitted out in the form of a roof garden and recreation ground. A large kitchen is attached to this room. Better accommodation, too, is to be given to the Music Director whose new suite will be on the south-west corner of the building over-looking the Library Square. This suite will be reached by a separate lift. Considerable improvements are being made to the Council chamber, which is being enlarged. The old domed ceiling has been scrapped and the outer wall facing an inner court is to be pushed out for a distance of 11 feet 6 inches [3,45m]. Adequate Press accommodation is being provided by the installation of two ranges of Press pews. There will also be an extra seating for 10 additional councillors, making 41 in all. These 10 extra benches are to be made locally to match the existing fine oak benches. Special attention is being given to the acoustics of the council chamber, the walls of which are to be finished in oak panelling up to a height of 9 feet[2,7m]. Above this panelling masonry size acoustic tiles will be used. Off the council chamber a room 45 feet [13,5m] by 30 feet [9m] has been provided for use by the mayor as a luncheon parlour so that the mayor may entertain his guests to luncheon in the City Hall instead of taking them to a club or hotel. INTERIOR HEATING. An interesting new principle is to be used in the warming of the council chamber, large committee room and mayor's luncheon parlour. This principle differs from that usually adopted for the heating of interiors in this country, that is, heating by convection. The system to be installed in the Johannesburg City Hall is based on the principle of radiation. Heating will be achieved by low temperature electric radiating warming panels in the ceiling. The temperature of these concealed panels will be approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit [~40degrees Celsius]. With this system the air in the room is not employed as a medium for the transmission of heat from the panels by convection. The heating medium is the rays emitted by the warming panels. These rays are absorbed by the floor, the furniture, the walls and the bodies of people in the room, and converted into heat. The effect is accumulative, for the warmed interior in its turn acts as a radiator, so that innumerable surfaces are radiating heat, and the room throughout is kept at a comfortable temperature. The advantage of this system over hot water and steam radiators is that there is no need to rely on the transmission of heat by convection through the air. A continuous supply of fresh air can therefore be allowed to circulate through the room without unduly reducing the temperature. The heating from hot water or steam radiators, which act mainly on the principle of convection, would be lost if the windows were thrown open on a cold day. A further advantage to be found in the use of these electric radiating warming panels is that they compensate for the loss of body heat irrespective of air temperature. It is possible also to maintain an even degree of temperature in all parts of the room by the use of thermostats which control the radiating energy of various sections of the heating panels. The heating elements in the panels will comprise low temperature, indestructible wires of a nickel-copper alloy wound on a suitable base. These elements will be equally spaced, covered with four layers of insulating fabric and glued between two boards fixed to the ceiling. The top board will form a foundation for the heating panels and the lower board, the under-surface of which will be visible to the occupants of the room, will serve as the radiating surface. The offices and other sections of the building are to be heated by means of the ordinary steam radiators. Air conditioning is being provided for public offices such as the rates hall, some of the basement offices and the council chamber. The latter will be air conditioned by means of a separate plant. Other improvements include the liberal use of an asbestos spray for acoustically treating the ceilings of rooms in which a great deal of noise is to be expected. Another improvement will be the inclusion in the basement under the Harrison Street frontage of public conveniences to replace the present unsightly ones near the Cenotaph. Entrances to these conveniences will be off President and Market Streets. The old conveniences will be removed and the site utilised for a garden or a lawn. The City Hall itself is being investigated at present for the improvement of acoustics and air conditioning as well as a remodelling of the organ. Extra seating and lighting is also likely tobe provided. At the time of writing this article, however, nothing definite had been decided upon in this connection. RAISING THE TOWER. From a constructional point of view, the main difficulty to be met is the raising of the tower on the Rissik Street front to a height of 33 feet [13,2m] above its present level. It was first the intention of the authorities to adopt a suggestion which would have introduced a novel, and if anything, spectacular engineering feat into this country. The suggestion was to raise the tower as it stands to its new height on lifting jacks, thereafter to build the necessary superstructure under it. Briefly, the method of accomplishing this was to be as follows: The idea was to place two layers of strong steel girders across the section of the tower, the girders being inserted through holes cut in the walls. It was the intention to place a set of 32 hydraulic jacks on the lower set of girders and tighten these up against the upper section before sawing through the walls of the tower. Operating simultaneously the jacks would have lifted the tower weighing 1 ,000 tons| [~900 metric tonnes] by stages. At the end of each stage a built-up steel structure would have been inserted to rest the tower and lift the jacks. When the lifting stages were completed the tower would have been supported at its new height on a steel web structure round which the retaining walls would have been built. This procedure, however, was abandoned owing to various factors, including insurance. It has now been decided to demolish the dome and tower, stone by stone, marking each stone so that the whole may be rebuilt at its new height when the two additional storeys have been added. The work of demolition has already begun, but it is not certain yet how long these alterations will take. /p> In conclusion, a word should be said about the roofing tiles. These formerly were glazed green hand-made tiles from Spain. As the Spanish village where these tiles were made is no longer in existence they will be replaced by bluish brindle tiles made in Pretoria. This is the only change that has been made in the treatment of the building. (PWSA May 1939 Vol II No 7:17-19). *** Fine new refreshment facility in Johannesburg City Hall An important addition to the reconstructed and renovated ]ohannesburg City Hall is a new refreshment bar, which should rank prominently among the amenities of the City as an outstanding example of internal architecture. Besides its decorative quality of design, achieved with considerable restraint, the bar is notable for warmth of tone created by dominant autumn tints, Napoleon marble facings and polished bronze stripping. It is to be used in conjunction with the City Hall or the Selborne Hall to both of which it is directly accessible. Stair Approach The architectural possibilities of a stair approach are fully realised in this neat design, made necessary by a drop of 8ft. [2,4m] from the floor level of the Selborne Hall vestibule to that of the refreshment bar, This 9ft.-[2,7m]wide approach leads down from the vestibule through the pair of polished bronze gates shown in the illustration. The gates are framed in dull steel, and strong definition is given to the setting by the flanking pilasters of Blue Belge marble. The walls of the small loggia before the gates are faced with Napoleon G.M. marble. Two tones of travertine are used for the floor and the steps, and the latter are divided down the centre by a decorative bronze handrail. The walls flanking the steps have a dado of Napoleon G M marble set off by a Blue Belge skirting. Moulded pilasters, painted old gold, flank the windows, which are glazed with cross-reeded grass. Above the dado the walls are painted in two biscuit tones. The cove ceiling is tinted sky-blue, and is illuminated solely by fluorescent tube lighting concealed behind the moulded cornice. An interesting feature is the mirrored arch at the bottom of the stairs. This arch is set in an exceptionally heavy constructional member which could not be lightened materially. Aesthetically cumbersome in its original form, it was felt necessary to disguise the weight of this member. The mirror surface achieves this, and, in addition, helps to create an atmosphere of depth readily appreciated in the comparatively small compass of the approach. Marble has been used extensively in the refreshment bar to achieve a high lustre finish, the warm tones of Napoleon grand melange fitting in well with the character of the room and the tone of the mosaic floor, carried out in 'autumn tints to the architect's design by Richards, England. The 4-ft. [1,2m] dado to the walls is in Napoleon grand melange set off by a skirting and topping of Blue Beige marble. Above the dado the wall is plaster, finished to the cornice with a rough texture surface and panel painted in two tones of biscuit. Moulded pilasters, painted old gold, flank doors and windows, and pick-out corners. The cove ceiling is tinted sky-blue shaded up from the moulded cornice, above which semi-circular fanlights to the five large windows on the ~east are vaulted into the cove. These vaults are separated as blanks over the three doors in the west wall, making suitable features for future mural decorations. These doors are of the double-swing type opening on to the foyer to the first floor of the City Hall. They are sound-proofed to prevent noise interference with any function held in the City Hall. Green and gold material, echoing the Johannesburg Municipal colours, is used for curtains to the windows and the archway to the stair approach. The bar has forced ventilation and is heated by means of special radiators concealed in the walls behind decorative bronze grilles. The bar is 60 ft. [18,0m] long and 25 ft. [7,5m] wide. Cross-reeded glazing has been used for the windows. A point of interest is that only three of the windows are genuine. Owing to an adjacent room, the two north-end windows are blanks comprising the actual window-frame glazed with cross-reeded glass, silvered at the back. Although a subterfuge, this arrangement adds to the airy appearance of the room, and is particularly effective at night. Fluorescent tube lighting is concealed behind the cornice. The main illumination is provided by indif1ect diffused lighting fixtures susp·ended from the ceiling. The counter front is faced with Napoleon qrand melange marble set off by an intermediate decorative strip of polished bronze. A polished bronze foot-rail with continuous cigarette and match tray forms the base. The counter-top material is a patent American composition known as ‘Formica’. This substance is jet black, has a high polish and is resistant to fire, heat, spirits and scratching. The counter beneath is designed as a series of refrigerated units. Shelves at the back are unobtrusive. Several facilities are included in the lay-out of the bar. On its south there is a refrigerated room for the storage of liquors and a sink-room or scullery. On the north with access off the small loggia before the bronze gates to the stair approach, is a small well-appointed kitchen with white glazed tile walls. The bar is connected also to the main kitchen on the floor below by a small servery built into its north wall. This servery is fitted with an electrically operated food lift. Bronze work was carried out by Messrs. Fredk. Sage & Co. ( S.A.), Ltd. (PWSA September 1940 Vol IV No 23:8-9) *** New Council Chamber: Johannesburg City Hall The design of this ceiling for the new City Council Chamber in the Johannesburg City Hall (architects, Messrs. Hawke, MacKinlay and Sayce) was dictated by the fact that a span of 85 feet [25,5m] above the Chamber, itself 45 feet [13,5m] square, had to be bridged by reinforced concrete beams 4 feet 6 inches [1,35m] deep and 1 foot 8 inches [800mm] wide. This beam span was essential owing to the fact that the inner or a partition" wall of the Chamber could not be used as a supporting member for the additions above without considerable strengthening of the supporting columns in the Rates Hall below, an operation which would have caused tremendous inconvenience to the public. A practical solution to the design of the ceiling was offered by the use of false beams, so forming a coffered ceiling. The centre of each coffer is occupied by an electric warming panel controlled by thermostats fixed in the wall. The treatment is plaster with a gold design on an ivory background (PWSA February 1940 Vol III No 16:12). *** Notes accompanying the First Day Cover (see image) ADDITIONAL STAMP VALUE TO THE RSA 4th DEFINITIVE SERIES 14c stamp City Hall, Johannesburg The City Hall of Johannesburg together with the adjoining municipal offices was declared a national monument on 12 October 1979. The cornerstone was laid on 29 November 1910 by the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and the building, which had been designed by Messrs Hawke and MacKinley, was officially opened on 7 April 1915 by HE the Rt. Hon. Viscount Buxton, Governor-General of the Union of South Africa. The building was designed in the Edwardian Baroque style and was erected at a cost of £503 000 (R1 006, 000,00). Two storeys were added in 1937 also by HAWKE & McKINLAY. Commemorative key issued on the occasion of the official opening of the building in April 1915. This particular key was presented to Norman Anstey (see NA engraved on reverse) to commemorate the award of Freedom of the City in the 1930's. In 1994, with the advent of a fully democratic South Africa, the Building was repurposed as the Gauteng Legislature. (Afr Archt Mar 1912:193; A&B Apr 1918:285 ill; adds, AB&E Oct 1937:13, PWSA May 1939 Vol II No 7:16-19) All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. References:
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