Bermuda: City Hall - Hamilton, Bermuda

City Hall

Hamilton, Bermuda

N 32° 17.677 W 064° 47.123

Short Description: 

The City Hall is located at 17 Church Street, Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda.

Long Description:

The Hamilton City Hall building doubles as the home of the Bermuda Arts Center. In 1933, Miss Catherine Tucker bequeathed a large sum of money to build of a new City Hall in memory of her father, George Somers Tucker. World War II started before construction could begin. In 1958 construction of the the building began under the direction of architect Wil Onions. His design for City Hall was based on the traditional Bermuda cottage. The City Hall was officially opened on the February 11, 1960.

The building has some very interesting features. The central tower as a weather vane on the roof which is a replica of the ship the H.M.S. Sea Venture, sailed by Sir George Somers the first settler of Bermuda. The dial on the tower gives the wind direction. The building design includes a large coat of arms of Hamilton on the west end of the front of the building.


A dedication stone incorporated into the structure is inscribed:

THE CITY HALL

1958

THIS STONE IS LAID IN MEMORY OF

GEORGE SOMERS TUCKER 1816 - 1890

ONETIME MEMBER OF THE CORPORATION OF HAMILTON

AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

FATHER OF

CATHERINE BROWN TUCKER 1847 - 1933

WHO BEQUEATHED A SUBSTANTIAL SUM

TOWARDS THE ERECTION OF THIS BUILDING

The stamp was part of a set of 18 definitive stamps issued from 1962 to 1965 each showing a scene from Bermuda.