Union Buildings

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The Union Buildings are the official seat of the South African government and house the offices of the President. They stand in Pretoria on Meintjeskop, the highest point of the city, and are a national heritage site. The light sandstone buildings were designed by Sir Herbert Baker and are 285 metres long.

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At a glance

Country: South Africa
Location: Pretoria, South Africa
Built: 1913
Type: Government building

Quick answers

Where is Union Buildings?

Union Buildings is in Pretoria, South Africa.

When was Union Buildings built?

Union Buildings was built in 1913.

Herbert Baker's seat of South Africa's government, with a semicircular amphitheatre between twin domed towers.

They are famous as an emblem of democracy and one of Pretoria's top tourist attractions, and the place where presidents are inaugurated. The name refers to the Union of South Africa, formed in 1910 when the Boer republics and the Cape and Natal colonies joined together.

Design full of meaning

The buildings curve in a semicircle with a wing at each side, which stands for the union of formerly divided peoples. The east and west wings and the twin domed towers stand for the two languages, English and Afrikaans. The clock chimes are the same as those of Big Ben in London. The windows get shorter toward the top floor to give an illusion of height, and each level has a different design, from Edwardian at the bottom to Cape Dutch at the top.

Building it

Herbert Baker was commissioned to design the government building in 1909, and the cornerstone was laid in November 1910. About 1,265 workers took three years to build it, and it was completed in 1913. It was sited on a disused quarry, which became the amphitheatre in front. Statues of Atlas stand on top of the towers, and a statue of Mercury, the Roman messenger god, stands between the wings.