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Muizenberg Bathing Pavilion - First
Muizenberg, Western Cape

DP HOWELLS: Designer 1910
William John DELBRIDGE: Architect 1911

Date:1910
Type:Pavilion
Status:Demolished

Also known as the Muizenberg Beach Pavilion.

The first pavilion was a wooden structure, built by the Kalk Bay-Muizenberg Municipality in 1910. The plans had been drawn up by the municipal engineer D P Howells, who also supervised the construction.

The pavilion soon proved to be too small, and the architect William John Delbridge was asked to draw up a two-thirds extension to the structure. The extension included a large tearoom with an attractive lean-to verandah, additional private dressing cubicles and fresh-water showers. The extended pavilion was opened by the Administrator of the Cape, Sir Frederic de Waal, on 16 December 1911. It was described in The South African Railway Holiday Brochure of 1914 as ‘providing every comfort and convenience for up to 3000 bathers a day’.

This pavilion was replaced by the second pavilion in 1928.

Extracted from The Early Architects of Cape Town by Michael Walker, pp 119-120.

Submitted by Lila Komnick.

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Since the Cape Town municipality assumed control from the Kalk Bay and Muizenberg Municipality in 1913, the Cape Town City Council planned significant beach enhancements for Muizenberg, including a promenade, pier, and additional gardens. These plans were postponed due to the First World War. Implementation required a special parliamentary bill, the "City of Cape Town (Muizenberg) Improvement Act," passed in 1925, as the government owned the beach. Consequently, the wooden Pavilion, opened in 1911, remained the primary facility until 1930, when it was replaced by a larger, more elaborate concrete and brick structure, positioned further along the coast and set back from the sea.

Compiled by Paul v d Merwe from: JewishGen: The Muizenberg Beach Pavilions 1911 - 2024.


References:

Walker, Michael. 2012. Early architects of Cape Town and their buildings (1820 - 1926) with postcard illustrations, The. St James: Michael Walker. pg 119-120