Africa Hall's Astonishing £42m Rebirth Earns Global Acclaim
Designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi and completed in 1961, Addis Ababa's Africa Hall is hailed as a defining achievement of African modernism. The building quickly gained recognition for its functional clarity and spatial openness, set within a garden landscape offering expansive views over the Ethiopian capital. Its interior featured Carrara marble, Ethiopian stone, and custom-designed furniture, alongside artworks like a 40-metre mural by Italian painter Nenne Sanguineti Poggi and a monumental stained glass triptych by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle.
A Historic Venue for African Unity
In 1963, Africa Hall hosted the founding meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor to today's African Union. This event marked a pivotal moment as Africa emerged from colonial rule, with leaders such as Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah and Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser in attendance. Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, who commissioned the building, emphasized its symbolic power, stating it demonstrated that grand constructions were possible in Ethiopia, a country never fully colonized by European powers.
Decades of Decline and a Decade-Long Restoration
Over the years, Africa Hall fell into disrepair, mirroring the fate of many modernist structures. However, a comprehensive £42m restoration programme, completed in 2024, has rejuvenated the landmark. The project involved exhaustive research by the architectural team from Brisbane-based Architectus Conrad Gargett, who addressed structural issues, improved energy efficiency, and replanted the landscape with native African flora. Notably, 13 million new mosaic tiles were fabricated to replace degraded ones, and over 500 pieces of Mezzedimi's furniture were restored.
Winning the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize
The restoration has now been awarded the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism prize, the most prestigious accolade in modernist heritage conservation. This marks the first time an African building has received the prize since its inception in 2008. Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the World Monuments Fund, highlighted that modern architecture captures ambitious 20th-century ideas but is vulnerable to time, making such preservation efforts crucial.
Artistic and Structural Renewal
Key to the restoration was the preservation of Afewerk Tekle's stained glass triptych, Total Liberation of Africa, originally fabricated by the French studio Atelier Thomas Vitraux. Emmanuel Thomas, grandson of the original maker, assisted in restoring the panels. The project also enhanced seismic resilience, addressing Ethiopia's susceptibility to earthquakes, while introducing new technology that respects the building's modernist character. Barry Bergdoll, an American architectural historian and prize jury chair, praised the restoration for allowing Mezzedimi's design to speak again, showcasing its craftsmanship and symbolic power.
Legacy and Continuing Influence
Africa Hall remains a vital venue for diplomacy and cultural exchange, with its restoration reinforcing its role in pan-African progress. The building's artistic legacy continues through influences on contemporary artists, such as Ethiopian American Julie Mehretu, who drew inspiration from Tekle's work for a project at the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago. This renewal ensures that Africa Hall stands as a landmark of modernism and a stage for African diplomacy for generations to come.
