The Georgetown City Hall was once the venue for concerts and musical recitals

Feb 12, 2023 News

O’ Beautiful Guyana…

Kaieteur News – The Georgetown City Hall, located on Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic, was completed in 1889, some 77 years before Guyana gained its independence from Great Britain.

A recent image of the ongoing restoration works to the Georgetown City Hall

This image shows a deteriorated section of the structure before repair works commenced (Photo credit: DPI)

The castle-shaped structure was built for some $54,826,62 back in those days; this cost included the price for the land. It was designed by British architect and Reverend, Ignatius Scoles in 1887.

The Georgetown City Hall was once 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”. Today, 134 years afte

r it was originally completed, the building has deteriorated massively and is now under rehabilitation. The cost for the restoration is now pegged at over $1 billion with an additional $263.2 million set aside in this year’s Budget.

Initially, councillors proposed that the building should be located either in front of the Stabroek Market or on the corner of Church and Main Streets where the National Library is located.

It was around 2pm on December 23, 1887 that the then Governor Henry Turner Irving laid the foundation stone for the City Hall. The foundation stone was reportedly laid at the North East corner of the main building, along with a glass jar containing original documents relating to the building, including 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.

A glimpse of the beautiful City Hall about a decade ago

City Hall was officially opened on July 1, 1889 by Governor Viscount Gormanston and blessed by the Archbishop of British Guiana, William Piercy Austin.

It was built using timber, possesses three floors and has a rectangular shape. The tower – one of the building’s most notable features – is topped by a square, pyramidal, flat-topped spire with wrought-iron crenulations around the perimeter of the spire’s apex. The spire is surrounded by conical pillars. The building has a Hammer-beam roof (a feature of Medieval Gothic architecture in England), and an elaborate Mahogany staircase joins the first and second floors of the building. The building is 27.1 metres long, 17.4 metres wide and 29.3 metres high.

The Gothic-style structure was designed to accommodate a Council Chamber at the first floor level, supported by a Mayor’s Parlour adjacent. Both these rooms could be reached from the front of the building via a porte-cochère and main entrance up the intricately designed staircase.

The Concert Hall was well-known for its importance in being the venue for important functions such as the National Music Festivals, Philharmonic Society concerts, religious meetings, public lectures and even political meetings. It was once used by former President Janet Jagan in July 1945 which led to the foundation of the Women’s Political and Economic Organisation.

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