The Centre for the Book is a building situated next to the

Company's Gardens The Company's Garden is the oldest garden in South Africa, a park and heritage site located in central Cape Town. The garden was originally created in the 1650s by the region's first European settlers and provided fertile ground to grow fres ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. The building is run for the state by an independent organization of the same name, to promote literacy, reading, publishing and for conferences, symposia, training courses and exhibitions pertaining to these.

History

The building opened in 1913, and was originally built with money donated by Willem Hiddingh and

Donald Currie Sir Donald Currie (17 September 182513 April 1909) was a Scottish shipowner, politician and philanthropist. Early life and career He was born at Greenock, Renfrewshire, on 17 September 1825, the third son of ten children of James Currie (1797 ...

and was to be the headquarters of the then

University of the Cape of Good Hope The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created when the Molteno government passed Act 16 of 1873 in the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinati ...

, today known as the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

, as an examination centre for colleges such as

Victoria College, Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...

South African College The South African College was an educational institution in Cape Town, South Africa, which developed into the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African College Schools (SACS). History The process that would lead to the formation of t ...

and others, who are today universities in their own right. In 1932,

moved to rented premises in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. The building was sold to the state, to be the home of the

National Archives of South Africa The National Archives and Records Service is an institutional network, operating on a centralized and decentralized provincial basis under central government control. The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa was established by p ...

, and an elevator and fire detection system was installed. In 1987, the building was offered to the South African Library, which planned to house some of its special collections there, as the Archives planned to relocate to new premises. In February 1990, the Archives moved to out and by this time the building was in a state of serious disrepair with crumbling stonework and major damage to the roofs. During this year the building was proclaimed a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

. A leading restoration consultant, John Rennie, was appointed to tend to the building with a very limited budget. The elevator is a custom design, has unique finishes, and opens into three directions with three separate doors as necessitated by the design of the building.

Architecture

The building is built in the Edwardian style. Two

British architects British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, W. Hawke and W.N. McKinlay, won a competition for its design and moved to South Africa to oversee its construction. The architects moved on to contribute to the design of the

Union Buildings The Union Buildings ( af, Uniegebou) form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of ...

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Cape Town