Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.	Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon		University of Cape Town Cape Town, Western Cape Joseph Michael SOLOMON: Architect

Date: 1916 Type: University Status: Extant   Click to view map Coordinates: 33°57'27.91" S 18°27'41.31" E

SOLOMON, in 1916 - then aged 28 - was given the University of Cape Town to design on the superb slopes of Table Mountain. Designed in the tradition of BAKER and LUTYENS, early sketches showed a grand domed hall reminiscent of the Viceroy's Palace at Delhi. The design lost some character in execution, but the bold conception remains. The tradition implied Italian Renaissance prototypes with regional adaptations, shady cornices, small windows, low pitched roofs, and over all, a feeling of imperial grandeur. The University was probably the last major work in that tradition and with the Union Buildings and Delhi marks the end of an era. (Bernard S Cooke in UIA, 1985: 58 [expanded from Gutsche] ) 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. Books that reference University of Cape Town Beck, Haig (Editor). 1985. UIA International Architect : Southern Africa (Issue 8). London: International Architect. pg 58 Fisher, RC, Le Roux, SW & Maré, E (Eds). 1998. Architecture of the Transvaal. Pretoria: UNISA. pg 128, 175-196, 128, 175-196, 214, 215, 216 Greig, Doreen. 1971. A Guide to Architecture in South Africa. Cape Town: Howard Timmins. pg 215 Shorten, John R. 1963. Cape Town : A record of the Mother City from the earliest days to the present. Cape Town: JR Shorten in association with Shorten and Smith Publications. pg 175 ill. Weinberg, Paul (Editor). 2013. View Points : The University of Cape Town and its treasures. Cape Town: UCT Press. pg All