Muizenberg Bathing Pavilion - First Muizenberg, Western Cape Designer 1910: DP HOWELLS Architect 1911: William John DELBRIDGE

The first wooden pavilion. Source: JewishGen Submitted by: Paul van der Merwe Photographer: Unidentified

Date: 1910 Type: Pavilion Status: Demolished

Notes: Also known as the Muizenberg Beach Pavilion. The first pavilion was a wooden structure, built by the Kalk Bay-Muizenberg Municipality in 1910. The plans had been drawn up by the municipal engineer D P Howells, who also supervised the construction. The pavilion soon proved to be too small, and the architect William John Delbridge was asked to draw up a two-thirds extension to the structure. The extension included a large tearoom with an attractive lean-to verandah, additional private dressing cubicles and fresh-water showers. The extended pavilion was opened by the Administrator of the Cape, Sir Frederic de Waal, on 16 December 1911. It was described in The South African Railway Holiday Brochure of 1914 as ‘providing every comfort and convenience for up to 3000 bathers a day’. This pavilion was replaced by the second pavilion in 1928. Extracted from The Early Architects of Cape Town by Michael Walker, pp 119-120. Submitted by Lila Komnick. ------------------ Since the Cape Town municipality assumed control from the Kalk Bay and Muizenberg Municipality in 1913, the Cape Town City Council planned significant beach enhancements for Muizenberg, including a promenade, pier, and additional gardens. These plans were postponed due to the First World War. Implementation required a special parliamentary bill, the "City of Cape Town (Muizenberg) Improvement Act," passed in 1925, as the government owned the beach. Consequently, the wooden Pavilion, opened in 1911, remained the primary facility until 1930, when it was replaced by a larger, more elaborate concrete and brick structure, positioned further along the coast and set back from the sea. Compiled by Paul v d Merwe from: JewishGen: The Muizenberg Beach Pavilions 1911 - 2024.

References:

View of Muizenberg beach and the pavilion. From a photo album dated 1913. Library of Parliament, Acc. No. 19532 (136). Submitted by Lila Komnick Photographer: Unidentified View of the first pavilion. From the book “Cape Town and the Picturesque Peninsula” published by the Cape Times in the 1920s. Library of Parliament, Acc. No. 39800 (38). Submitted by Lila Komnick Photographer: Unidentified Muizenberg viewed from the mountain, showing the pavilion on the beach. From a photo album dated 1919. Library of Parliament, Acc. No. 24690 (45). Submitted by Lila Komnick Photographer: Unidentified Extended pavilion c. 1925. Source: JewishGen Submitted by: Paul van der Merwe Photographer: Unidentified Close-up of pavilion. Source: JewishGen Submitted by: Paul van der Merwe Photographer: Unidentified View of beach before the construction of the pavilion. Source: JewishGen Submitted by: Paul van der Merwe Photographer: Unidentified Gardens and bandstand behind the pavilion. Source: JewishGen Submitted by: Paul van der Merwe Photographer: Unidentified