Location: Lacytown, Georgetown
Classification: Community
Period/Year Built: 19th century
Historical Background / Description:
City Hall, an eloquent reminder of Guyana’s architectural heritage, is located with its main façade facing the Avenue of the Republic and is bordered by Regent Street to the north and Charlotte Street to the south. In 1842, Georgetown was designated a city, but the council, which was established on March 1, 1837, was without a building of its own.
On November 22, 1886, the council agreed to a proposal for building specifications to be draughted and reviewed. In March, 1887, the designs submitted for the Town Hall were reviewed, and the work of architect Reverend Ignatius Scoles S. J. was selected with the assistance of Mr. Cesar Castellani and Messrs. J. A. Conyers, a councillor. Funds for the new building were then secured through the government, and on December 23, 1887, His Excellency Governor Sir Henry Turner Irving, K.C.M.G., laid the foundation stone for the building in the north-eastern corner of the structure.
The building was completed 18 months later and declared opened before a large audience by Governor Viscount Gormanston, K.C.M.G., on July 1, 1889, during a heavy downpour of rain. The City Hall can be described as an excellent example of Gothic Revival architecture in Guyana. The 29-meter (96-foot) tower with its conical pinnacles was and still is considered one of the building’s main attractions. Other features of the three-storey, rectangular-shaped building include its lancet windows (pointed arched windows), fretwork, iron capitals decorated with foliage, finials, elaborate mahogany staircase, and a ceiling similar to a hammer beam, located in the Concert Hall.
