Government Buildings, Suva

History

With the foundation stone laid in 1937, the Government Buildings were designed by the Chief Colonial Architect, Walter Frederick Hedges, who had served from 1928 to 1931 as chief architect in the Federated Malay States, where he designed the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Istana Iskandariah, the palace of the Sultan of Perak. Hedges had previously served as Chief Architect in the Public Works Department in the Gold Coast Colony, where he designed the Prince of Wales College, Achimota, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

The Government Buildings were formally opened in May 1939 by Governor Sir Harry Luke. From the time of its opening, the buildings were the seat of the colonial administration and the Legislative Council of Fiji. With independence in 1970, the Legislative Council became the Parliament of Fiji and remained its seat until the 1987 coups. Parliament then moved to temporary premises until the opening of a new Parliament complex in 1992. Parliament was suspended following the 2006 coup d'état and when it returned following the 2014 general election, Parliament returned to its historic seat within the Government Buildings.

In 2013, Chief Justice Anthony Gates commissioned various renovations for the Courts section of the Government Buildings, which includes restoration of the clock tower on Gladstone Road. The clock was built and assembled by the Cumbria Clock Company in 1939.