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By Gregor Gosciniak and Theodor Berghausen
31 October 2007: The city hall of Colombia’s capital, Bogota, is, as it is common in most Latin American cities, situated in the city’s central square. The heart of the old town is called Plaza de Bolívar, where a mix of different architectural styles can be found. The city hall faces some of the most important buildings of the country, such as the presidential palace, the palace of justice, the old congress building and the magnificent cathedral.
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The city hall, which is also known as Edificio de Líevano, takes over the whole western side of the square, replacing the Galerías de Arrubla which burnt down in 1902. The architect of the city hall was the Frenchman Gastón Lelarge. He was commissioned to realise the ideas of Julián Lobana, then Mayor of Bogota. The design was influenced by the contemporary vogue of French architecture turning away from the classical Spanish colonial buildings of those days.
The building has a squared ground area, is three storeys high and is crowned by two immense mansards. It is built up on massive square columns, which form a collonade open to the public. Unlike with other governmental buildings, the public entrance is not at the front of the building but somewhat hidden inside the collonade. The main mansard was removed during modification works in 1974.
Another smaller building, built between 1927 and 1931 by Alberto Manrique Martín, is incorporated in the Edificio de Líevano. It prodrudes with a central patio, an ornamented façade made out of stone in a neoclassical style. Just outside city hall remaining tracks from the city’s old tramway can still be found. The area surrounding main square and city hall is a pedestrian zone where many gatherings, concerts and other events are held throughout the year.
Today the Edificio de Líevano is the work place of socialist mayor Samuel Moreno, elected in October 2007 after popular former Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzon, nicknamed “Lucho”, decided not to run for a second term. During the administrations of his predecessors, Bogotá has undergone a massive improvement in cleanliness, transport and security as well as successfully reviving the historic centre of the city.
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Bogota City Hall with one of two remaining mansard-style roof extensions
On other pages
Houston City Hall built for the masses not the classes
The City of Houston, named after General Sam Houston, was founded on 30 August 1836. Its first municipal government was inaugurated in 1840 and its seat at Old Market Square lasted from 1841 to 1939. The old City Hall on Market Square was rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in the 1870s. It was again rebuilt in 1901 after another devastating fire. Old Market Square was a lively commercial area, with the city’s offices surrounded by bustling fish markets and every variety of street-trader. By the 1920s debate started on moving the city council away from such an environment, and in 1927 voters approved bond issues for the construction of both a new City Hall and Civic Centre.
In 1929 a report prepared by the planning Commission of Houston urged the establishment of a downtown area of architecturally coordinated buildings and parks – the so called Civic Centre, including City Hall. However, the years of the great depression delayed plans. In 1933 the City of Houston applied for a federal grant from the Public Works Administration to help with construction, and on 8 August1937 it was finally approved. In October 1937 the City Commissioners awarded the City Hall planning contract to Joseph Finger, an Austrian-born architect, who had designed, among other things, the William Penn Hotel, the Montgomery County Courthouse and the Temple Beth Israel. More