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Several weeks ago, the City of Cape Town announced that the landmark clock tower on Hans Strijdom Avenue would receive a glow-up of sorts.
The City also invited Capetonians to vote for the new colour scheme. With a storied history, this isn’t the first time the Colonial Mutual Clock memorial tower is being restored.
Installed in 1887 on the Colonial Mutual building in Adderley Street, it was reconstructed in its current form in 1983 following a fire which gutted the building. “The designs aim to celebrate the layered history of the tower and its clock face while introducing vibrant colour to create renewed visual interest,” said CoCT Councillor Ian McMahon.
The public was invited to review the four colour options: Mosaic Brights, Pastel Harmony, Classic Contrast and Citrus Greens. Now that the results are in, the design that got the most votes (38.5%) was Classic Contrast, with its bold red-and-blue hues.
After falling into disrepair in recent years, the City intends to restore it to its former glory, albeit in a more modern iteration.
Razed by fire
According to Artefacts.co.za, the property was originally called the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Building.
Then described as “this most impressive building with its magnificent clock tower,” many compared it to architect George Ransome’s earlier Sea Point Town Hall design.
The building was razed by fire in the early 1900s, rebuilt (Second Colonial Mutual Building), and then demolished in the late 1950s when replaced by the 13-storey Third Colonial Mutual Building.
Tick tock
But it’s the meticulous work that went into the clock tower that still attracts attention. Standing at 25.9m, the clock had four dials each, illuminated at night.
“At the main angle in Longmarket Street was the emblematic device of the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society, carved in white marble, representing a female figure with a shield protecting the fatherless and widow,” claimed Artefacts.
What are your thoughts on the new colour scheme for the Colonial Mutual Clock memorial tower? Let us know.
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