Gibraltar City Hall
| Gibraltar City Hall | |
|---|---|
 Main façade of the Gibraltar City Hall, fromJohn Mackintosh Square. | |
  Location within Gibraltar | |
| Former names | Club House, Club House Hotel, Connaught House |
| Alternative names | City Hall |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Regency |
| Location | Gibraltar |
| Address | John Mackintosh Square |
| Coordinates | 36°08′27″N5°21′16″W/ 36.140853°N 5.354454°W |
| Current tenants | Anthony Lima,Mayor of Gibraltar |
| Completed | 1819 |
| Owner | Government of Gibraltar |
TheGibraltar City Hallis the formercity hallforGibraltar,centrally located within the city at the west end ofJohn Mackintosh Square.It is theofficeof theMayor of Gibraltarand since 2023 has been the location of the Registry of Marriages.
History
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The building was a privatemansionbuilt in 1819[1]byAaron Cardozo,a prosperous merchant ofJewish Portuguesedescent who had settled in Gibraltar, as his family home. It was the grandest private mansion ever seen in Gibraltar.[2]The three-storeyhouse dominated John Mackintosh Square.
It was erected on the site of the old hospital and chapel ofLa Santa Misericordia(English:The Holy Mercy) and later prison.[1]As a nonProtestant,Cardozo was not legally allowed to own property in Gibraltar. However, as he had been a close friend of LordNelsonand had supplied his fleet, he was eventually granted a site to build a house in theAlamedaon the condition that it be "an ornament"to the square.[2]Its cost was about£40,000.[3]
After his death in 1834, his mansion was leased toJohn Ansaldo[4]as a hotel,[1]theClub House Hotel.It was bought in 1874 byPablo Antonio Larios,a wealthy businessman and banker, Gibraltarian-born but member of aSpanishfamily, theLarios,who completely refurbished the building.[1]In 1922, his sonPablo Larios, Marquis of Marzales(Master of theRoyal Calpe Huntfor 45 years), sold the building to the Gibraltar colonial authorities, which intended to turn it into apost office.However, it eventually became the seat of the newly formedGibraltar City Council.[5]Since 1926, the Gibraltar telephone service was operated by the City Council,[6]and an automaticexchangeserving the territory was installed in the last floor of the building,[7]The building was later extended (including a new storey and a new body to the North) modifying its original symmetry. Nowadays, it houses theMayor's Parlour.
National Gallery
[edit]In 2015,HM Government of Gibraltarset up theMario Finlayson National Art Galleryat the City Hall. The gallery exhibits the works of prominent Gibraltarian artists such asGustavo Bacarisas,Jacobo Azagury,Leni Mifsud,andRudesindo Mannia.Some works byMario Finlaysonare also on display.[8]
References
[edit]- ^abcd(Benady, 18)
- ^ab(Bond, 48)
- ^(Bond, 49)
- ^Mascarenhas, Alice (10 August 2010)."Lombard brings a new sense of history to the role".Gibraltar Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon 25 August 2010.Retrieved10 October2010.
- ^(Benady, 19)
- ^(Constantine, 337)
- ^(Romero Frías, 68-69)
- ^"Mario Finlayson National Art Gallery opens its doors".Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.3 June 2015.Retrieved6 August2018.
Bibliography
[edit]- Benady, Tito(1996).The Streets of Gibraltar.Gibraltar Books. pp. 17–19.ISBN0-948466-37-5.
- Bond, Peter (2003).300 Years of British Gibraltar 1704-2004.Peter-Tan Publishing Co.
- Stephen Constantine(2009).Community and identity. The making of modern Gibraltar since 1704.Manchester University Press.ISBN978-0-7190-8054-8.
- Romero Frías, Rafael (1994). Fundación Arte y Tecnología deTelefónica(ed.).Colección Histórico-Tecnológica de Telefónica(in Spanish). Madrid.ISBN84-604-9745-3.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
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| International | |
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| National | |
