Editing Union Buildings (section)

==History==
[[File:Uniegebou in Pretoria, Suid-Afrika c1925.jpeg|thumb|right|Circa 1925]]
The [[Boer Republics]] of the [[South African Republic|ZAR]] and the [[Orange Free State]] were united with the [[Cape Colony]] and [[Natal Colony]] in 1910 to become the [[Union of South Africa]]. Pretoria then became the administrative capital of the whole of South Africa, with [[Cape Town]] the legislative capital. Between 1860 and 1994, the city was also the capital of the province of [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]], superseding [[Potchefstroom]] in that role. The new [[Union of South Africa|Union]] required a governmental building which could signify unity and host the new government.

[[Marthinus Wessel Pretorius]], later to become first president of the [[Transvaal Republic]], was the original owner of the farm 'Elandsfontein' on which [[Meintjieskop]] stands. In 1856 Andries Francois du Toit (1813–1883), in exchange for a [[Basotho pony]], acquired part of the farm, which he named '[[Arcadia, Pretoria|''Arcadia'']]' and on which the Union Buildings were later constructed.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite book |title=Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa |date=1972 |publisher=Nasou |volume=7 |location=Cape Town}}</ref> He was also [[Pretoria]]'s first [[magistrate]] and was responsible for the layout of the city. During this period he sold his land to Stephanus Jacobus Meintjies (1819–1887), after whom the hill is named.

In 1909 [[Herbert Baker]] was commissioned to design the Government Building of the Union of South Africa (which was formed on 31 May 1910) in Pretoria. Pretoria was to become the administrative centre for the new government. In November 1910 the cornerstone of the Union Building was laid.

[[William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne|Lord Selborne]] and [[Henry Charles Hull]], a member of the first Union Cabinet, chose [[Meintjieskop]] as the site for Baker's design.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The site was that of a disused quarry and the existing excavations were used to create the amphitheatre, which was set about with ornamental pools, fountains, sculptures, balustrades, and trees.

The design consisted of two identical wings, joined by a semi-circular colonnade forming the backdrop of the amphitheatre. The colonnade was terminated on either side by a tower. Each wing had a basement and three floors above ground. The interiors were created in the [[Cape Dutch architecture|Cape Dutch style]] with carved teak [[fanlight]]s, heavy doors, dark ceiling beams contrasting with white plaster walls and heavy wood furniture. Baker used indigenous materials as far as possible. The granite was quarried on site while Buiskop sandstone was used for the courtyards. [[Ocotea bullata|Stinkwood]] and [[Guibourtia|Rhodesian teak]] were used for timber and wood panelling. The roof tiles and quarry tiles for the floors were made in [[Vereeniging]].

The [[cornerstone]] was laid in November 1910, shortly after the [[Union of South Africa]] – for which the buildings are named – was formed. Taking 1,265 workers over three years to build, the structure was completed in 1913 at a total cost of £1,310,640 for the building and £350,000 for the site.

Designed by [[Sir Herbert Baker]] in 1908, building began in 1909 and was completed in 1913. It took approximately 1,265 artisans, workmen and labourers almost three years to construct, using 14&nbsp;million bricks for the interior office walls, {{convert|5000000|ft3}} of freestone, {{convert|74000|yd3}} of concrete, 40 000 bags of cement and {{convert|20000|ft3}} of granite.

Originally built to house the entire Public Service for the [[Union of South Africa]], it was then the largest building in the country and possibly the largest building work undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere at that time.

Several other sites were considered, including Muckleneuk Ridge, on the opposite side of the city, and Pretorius Square, in the centre of Pretoria, where the City Hall now stands. However, Herbert Baker was strongly in favour of [[Meintjieskop]], which was within 1.6 kikometres of the centre of Pretoria and reminded him strongly of some of the acropolises of Greece and Asia Minor, where he had studied Mediterranean architecture.

The concept of an acropolis and a building that agreed with renowned British Architect [[Sir Christopher Wren]]'s theory that a public building should be a national ornament which establishes a nation, draws people and commerce and makes people love their country easily persuaded the then powers that be, who were at the time, preoccupied with the ideal of establishing a new and united nation.

The British high commissioner at the time, [[William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne|Lord Selborne]], remarked;
<blockquote>People will come from all over the world to wonder at the beauty of the site and to admire the forethought and courage of the men who selected it.</blockquote>
[[File:Königsberg gun Union Buildings Pretoria right front view.jpg|thumb|Historic naval gun outside the buildings]]
The design of the buildings was largely determined by the nature of the site. Baker envisaged identical wings of rectangular office blocks, each representing one of the two official languages. They were to be linked by a semicircular wing, and the space in-between the two wings was levelled to bring form an amphitheatre as in the Greek fashion for gatherings of national and ceremonial importance.

Baker wanted the buildings to be built of imported granite, but any idea of using anything but South African stone for the most important government building of the new state was unthinkable to those who commissioned it, as a result, the terraces and retaining walls in the grounds are built predominantly of mountain stone quarried on site, the foundation of the building is of granite, while freestone was used for the exterior walls, the amphitheatre and major courtyards.

For the overall design of the building, Baker chose the [[Neoclassical architecture|neo-classic architecture]] of the [[Italian Renaissance]], and also combined an idiom of the English Renaissance, as well as significant elements of [[Cape Dutch]] detail, such as in the carved main doorways and fanlights and in much of the wrought-iron brass work and balustrades of the smaller areas.

===Historical events===
On 9 August 1956, 20,000 women marched to the doors of the Union Buildings, chanting "Wathint' Abafazi, wathint' imbokodo!" which means "strike the women, strike the rock", to protest against the [[pass laws]] of 1950. This historical event is commemorated by the public holiday [[National Women's Day]].

Wilma Cruise and Marcus Holmes were approached to design a memorial to commemorate the [[Women's March (South Africa)|Women's March]]. They made use of the "imbokodo". The imbokodo is a grinding stone used by the women to grind maize. Cruise and Holmes, rested the imbokodo, representing nurture and sustenance, on bronze plates, representing the earth and fire. There are two sets of stairs leading to the memorial. On each step, raised in bronze letters are the words from 'The Demand of the Women of South Africa for the Withdrawal of Passes for Women and Repeal of the Pass Laws.' On approaching the imbokodo, visitors trigger infrared beams, which activates history's "whispered voices", echoed in all 11 official languages, the rally cry, repeated softly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Union Building – Governmental Nucleus of South Africa |url=http://www.southafrica.com/gauteng/pretoria/union-building/ |url-status=dead |access-date=15 December 2009 |archive-date=5 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105173800/http://www.southafrica.com/gauteng/pretoria/union-building/ }}</ref>

In 1986, significant restoration of the Union Buildings was undertaken by [[Johan de Ridder]] and T.W. Baker as the appointed architects.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Johan de Ridder Architect |url=http://www.artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/archframes.php?archid=4612 |access-date=25 May 2014 |website=Artefacts.co.za |archive-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019093145/http://www.artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/archframes.php?archid=4612 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 10 May 1994, the inauguration of [[Nelson Mandela]], South Africa's [[South African general election, 1994|first democratically elected]] president after the end of [[Apartheid]], and his vice-presidents, heralded the beginning of a new era in South Africa's history.<ref name="RSA-Presidency" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=10 May 1994 |title=1994: Mandela Becomes SA's First Black President |work=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/10/newsid_2661000/2661503.stm |access-date=26 May 2010 |archive-date=13 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513191619/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/10/newsid_2661000/2661503.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Part of Nelson Mandela's inaugural address:

<blockquote>"Today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world, confer glory and hope to newborn liberty.

Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.

Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.

All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today.
.......
We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.

We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.

We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.

Let there be justice for all.

Let there be peace for all.

Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.

Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.

Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.

Let freedom reign.

The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!

Let us as a Rainbow nation keep this in focus and move forward!" </blockquote>

On 31 December 1999 the South African flagship [[Millennium celebration]] was held here. In attendance was the then deputy president [[Jacob Zuma]], and other ministers.

On 10 December 2013, the Union Buildings Amphitheatre was renamed the Nelson Mandela Amphitheatre.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mataboge |first=Mmanaledi |date=10 December 2013 |title=Zuma Renames Union Buildings Amphitheatre to Honour Madiba |work=Mail & Guardian |url=http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-10-zuma-renames-union-buildings-amphitheatre-to-honour-madiba |access-date=16 December 2013 |archive-date=13 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213084706/http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-10-zuma-renames-union-buildings-amphitheatre-to-honour-madiba |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 16 December 2013, a 9-metre high bronze statue of Mandela was unveiled at the Union Buildings.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 December 2013 |title=Zuma Unveils Bronze Statue of Madiba in Pretoria |work=Mail & Guardian |agency=SAPA |url=http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-16-zuma-unveils-bronze-statue-of-madiba-in-pretoria |access-date=16 December 2013 |archive-date=16 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216190526/http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-16-zuma-unveils-bronze-statue-of-madiba-in-pretoria |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Statue of Nelson Mandela at Union Buildings, Pretoria, December 2013.jpg|thumb|right|A 9-metre tall statue of former president Nelson Mandela in front of the Union Buildings.]] -->