The history behind the construction of the more than a century old City Hall

May 16, 2021 News

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Kaieteur News – Georgetown’s City Hall is often described as “the most picturesque structure” and “the most handsome building in Georgetown,” as well as “one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the Caribbean.”
In 1995, the Government of Guyana included City Hall as part of a list of 13 National Monuments in a proposal to inscribe Georgetown as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building currently occupies the status of “tentative listing.”
Over the years, City Hall has gradually fallen into disrepair and numerous appeals have been made for its renovation. In June 2011, then Mayor, Hamilton Green, announced that $20 million in funds would be put towards the renovation of the building. Green saw to it that $5 million was spent to purchase and install new windows that very year. In 2012, the renovation project was reported to have “stalled” with little to no progress on the rehabilitation of historic structure.

But efforts in this regard have resurfaced with a recent announcement by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, who revealed that the sum of $100M has been allocated for the restoration of City Hall. However, current City Mayor, Ubraj Narine, is among those who have criticised the sum, noting that while the money is needed, it is barely enough to restore the 18th century structure.
Narine noted, among other things that an EU funded study estimated the rehabilitation would cost at least $1B. He said the EU had recommended that the structure of the building be rehabilitated in a manner that preserves its beautiful aesthetics.
In this article, Kaieteur News will highlight the history behind the construction of the Gothic Revival building located on the corner of Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic in Georgetown.
According to several historic sites, the building was designed by architect, Reverend Ignatius Scoles, in 1887, and was completed in June 1889.
Planning for the construction of a Town Hall in Georgetown began in 1854, not long after the formation of the Town Council in 1937. Initially, councillors proposed that the building should be located either in front of Stabroek Market or on the corner of Church and Main Streets (now the location of the National Library of Guyana).
But on November 22, 1886, the Town Council endorsed proposals for the construction of a Town Hall and a Committee – led by the Mayor – was formed to supervise the design of the building. Shortly afterwards the then Mayor, George Anderson Forshaw, purchased the site where the present building now stands.
The Committee met on March 17, 1887 and was joined by Cesar Castellani, an architect of many prominent buildings in Georgetown. They chose a design entitled “Damus Pitimusque Vicissim” (a Latin phrase meaning, “we give and we ask in turn”) by Reverend Ignatius Scoles – an architect who had designed a number of churches in Europe. Scoles was awarded a prize of $50, which he declined. The building contract was given to Sprostons and Sons of the La Penitence Woodworking Company.
At 2:00pm on December 23, 1887, Governor, Henry Turner Irving, laid the foundation stone for City Hall. The foundation stone was laid at the North Eastern corner of the main building, along with a glass jar containing original documents relating to the building, copies of the leading newspapers of British Guiana at that time – the Royal Gazette, the Argosy and the Daily Chronicle, a portrait of Queen Victoria and a number of coins. The Foundation Ceremony was accompanied by the Militia Band.
City Hall was completed in June 1889 and the full cost of the building, including the price for the purchase of the land, was $5,482,662.
It was officially opened at 3pm on July 1, 1889 by Governor, Viscount Gormanston. The Archbishop of British Guiana, William Piercy Austin, then blessed the structure. The Mayor read an address to the Governor and the Governor officially congratulated the Council on their work and declared the building open.
The Invitation Committee sent out 400 invitations to the most prominent people in Guyana for the opening ceremony and a large number of them were present at the event. On the evening of the same day, the building was opened to the public. Six thousand tickets were issued, but it is estimated that around 8,000 people passed through the building at some point during the evening event. The public event went on until 9.30pm and included performances by the Militia Band and the Portuguese Band.
In 1891, the Georgetown Fire Brigade moved into the ground floor of the building. Shortly afterwards, the Town Council bought the land between the City Hall and the Supreme Court of Judicature. In 1896, a fire station, stables for horses and a residence for the Sergeant Major in charge of the Fire Brigade were built on this land at the cost of $6,500. These buildings, which have since been altered and extended, now house the offices of the City Engineer, the Mayor and his staff.
As well as housing the offices of the Mayor, the City Council and the City Engineer, Georgetown City Hall houses a Concert Hall, which was one of the main venues for concerts and recitals in the city. Musicians who have performed in the Concert Hall of the City Hall include the British Guiana Philharmonic Orchestra; Ray Luck, the Guyanese concert pianist; and the Police Male Voice Choir who held their first ever concert at the venue. (Adapted from Ted Bertrand Semple)

 

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