Addis Ababa City Hall

The Addis Ababa City Hall houses the offices of the Municipality of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa City Hall
Location within Ethiopia
General information
TypeMunicipal building
Architectural styleModernism
LocationAddis Ababa
Country Ethiopia
Coordinates9°02′05″N 38°45′03″E
Elevation7,726 feet (2,355 m)
Current tenantsGovernment of Addis Ababa
Construction started1961
Completed1964
Height42 m
Technical details
Floor area140,000 m2
Design and construction
ArchitectArturo Mezzedimi
Main contractorVarnero Construction plc

History

Along with Africa Hall, the UNECA headquarters, the Addis Ababa city hall was one of the two projects designed to demonstrate, in the words of Emperor Haile Selassie, “that it is possible to construct grand buildings here too [in Ethiopia], by erecting a couple of high-profile structures. It is not their complexity or size that matter, but the maximum possible use of home-produced materials, in order to shake our wealthy middle class (which keeps its money under the mattress) from the inactivity that also binds it in the field of construction, and stimulate it to invest its assets also in building to make this ‘great village’ a city and a true great capital”.[1] Construction commenced in 1961 and was completed in 1964. Queen Elizabeth II received the freedom of the city on 4 February 1965 in a ceremony here, and attended a banquet in her honour that day.[2]

Features

The structure is situated at the northern end of Churchill Avenue, and is a direct consequence of the avenue's re-routing, sitting on top of a hill overlooking the thoroughfare. The structure features various spaces – the hall, boardroom, reception room, cinema-theatre, restaurant, 4 bars, library, and panoramic terrace – making it a social as well as an administrative centre.[1]

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References
  1. Mezzedimi, Arturo (April 1992). "Haile Selassie: A testimony for reappraisal" (PDF). Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  2. Reuters (5 February 1965). "Freedom of City for Queen". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
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