Government Buildings, Suva, Government offices in Victoria Parade, Suva, Fiji.
The Government Buildings form an administrative complex housing Parliament, law courts, and government departments across multiple levels. The most striking feature is the clock tower with glazed tiles that rises above the structure and dominates the surrounding skyline.
The foundation stone was laid in 1937 and the buildings were designed by Chief Colonial Architect Walter Frederick Hedges, who had earlier worked in the Gold Coast Colony and the Federated Malay States. Governor Sir Harry Luke formally opened them in May 1939. They housed the colonial administration and the Legislative Council, which became the Parliament of Fiji at independence in 1970 and sat here until the 1987 coups.
Two statues at the entrance honor important Fijian leaders: Ratu Epenisa Seru Cakobau and Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna. These monuments mark the nation's political identity and are among the first things visitors notice when arriving at the complex.
The complex is bounded by Southern Cross Road, Gladstone Road, Thurston Street and Victoria Parade, facing Albert Park; Government House lies further south on Victoria Parade and is a separate building. The clock tower on Gladstone Road was restored from 2013 under Chief Justice Anthony Gates; its clock was built and assembled by the Cumbria Clock Company in 1939.
The clock in the tower was built and assembled by the Cumbria Clock Company in 1939, and Chief Justice Anthony Gates commissioned its restoration in 2013 along with other renovations to the courts section. Two statues stand at the front: Ratu Epenisa Seru Cakobau and Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna. The complex is not Government House, which lies further south on Victoria Parade.
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