The Town Hall, which was designed by Fyfe & Street-Wilson, winners of a competition to find the best architects for the job. On 5 February 1891, Sir Charles Mitchell re-laid a foundation stone originally put in position by Prince Alfred 30 years before, when the first plans for a town hall were drawn up. There was an impressive main hall with a huge organ, a lesser hall, a courtroom and council chamber for the Legislative Assembly, all built from brick and terra-cotta, decorated with ‘broekie-lace’.
This grand structure stood for only seven years before being destroyed by fire, leaving the municipality and various government departments homeless. The original foundation stone was retrieved, and the entire building was re-designed by Street-Wilson & Barr, rebuilt and reopened in 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall and York, who later became King George V. This second town hall is much larger than the first building, with another storey and larger, grander reception rooms and main hall, built in the Flemish Renaissance style with stained glass windows and dome.
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