The Government Buildings in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

are the offices of the executive wing of Government of

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. Built in the late 1930s as the seat of the colonial administration, the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

buildings today house the Prime Minister of Fiji's offices, the High Court, and several government ministries. It is also the seat of the

Parliament of Fiji The Parliament of the Republic of Fiji is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Fiji. It consists of 55 members elected every 4 years using open list proportional representation in one multi-member nationwide constituency. History ...

since 2014, having previously been the seat of Fiji's parliament from independence in 1970 until the 1987 coups.

History

With the foundation stone laid in 1937, the Government Buildings were designed by the Chief Colonial Architect, Walter Frederick Hedges, who had served from 1928 to 1931 as chief architect in the

Federated Malay States )Under God's Protection , capital = Kuala Lumpur1 , religion = Islam , legislature = Federal Legislative Council , type_house1 = State level , common_languages = , title_leader = Monarch , leader1 ...

, where he designed the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and ''

Istana Iskandariah Istana Iskandariah or Iskandariah Palace is the royal palace of the Perak Sultanate and the official residence of the Sultan of Perak since its completion in 1933. It is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia. All the Sultans ...

'', the palace of the Sultan of Perak. Hedges had previously served as Chief Architect in the Public Works Department in the

Gold Coast Colony The Gold Coast was a British Crown colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1821 until its independence in 1957 as Ghana. The term Gold Coast is also often used to describe all of the four separate jurisdictions that were under the ad ...

, where he designed the Prince of Wales College, Achimota, and was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE). The Government Buildings were formally opened in May 1939 by Governor Sir Harry Luke. From the time of its opening, the buildings were the seat of the colonial administration and the Legislative Council of Fiji. With independence in 1970, the Legislative Council became the

and remained its seat until the 1987 coups. Parliament then moved to temporary premises until the opening of a new Parliament complex in 1992. Parliament was suspended following the 2006 coup d'état and when it returned following the 2014 general election, Parliament returned to its historic seat within the Government Buildings. In 2013, Chief Justice Anthony Gates commissioned various renovations for the Courts section of the Government Buildings, which includes restoration of the clock tower on Gladstone Road. The clock was built and assembled by the Cumbria Clock Company in 1939.

Location

The building is located across the street from Albert Park, bounded by Southern Cross Road, Gladestone Road, Thurston Street and Victoria Parade. There are two statues located in the front of the building: * Ratu Epenisa Seru Cakobau *

Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vanayaliyali Sukuna (22 April 1888 – 30 May 1958) was a Fijian chief, scholar, soldier, and statesman. He is regarded as the forerunner of the post-independence leadership of Fiji. He did more than anybody to lay ...

The buildings should not be confused with

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

to the south on the same street (Victoria Parade).

Gallery

File:Clock Tower, Govt Buildings, Suva.jpg, Clock Tower, March 2010 File:Fiji's "Big Ben" July 2014.jpg, Clock Tower wrapped in scaffolding for restoration, July 2014 File:The Government Buildings of Fiji, July 2014.jpg, July 2014 File:Government Buildings Fiji August 2014.jpg, August 2014 File:Government Buildings Suva MatthiasSuessen-8446.jpg, 2015

References

{{reflist Government buildings completed in 1939 Buildings and structures in Suva Government buildings in Fiji Art Deco architecture