The old picture this week features the Durban Pavilion at the bottom of Old Fort Road, Dr KE Masinga Road today. The fanciful structure burnt down in the late 1930s and was never rebuilt.

It was built as Durban’s beaches were being developed and the nascent Golden Mile was taking shape. The earliest hotels were built in 1906. It became a hub of entertainment on Durban’s beachfront and used for a number of dances and balls, concerts and shows. It was also the scene of a grand fancy dress ball in March 1934 when His Royal Highness Prince George (later George VI) visited the city, as advertised in a commemorative booklet printed for the occasion.

It was likely built in the early 20th century, around the same time as the Pavilion Hotel, which still stands across the road. It also became the centre associated with the Sunken Gardens, a recreation area designed by William Murray-Jones in 1931. 

Behind the Pavilion is Grosvenor Court, which was built in 1936 and designed by architect Arthur Stanley Furner. The tower block was added onto the back of the block in the 1960s. Today the Elangeni and Maharani Hotel stands proud on North Beach behind Grosvenor Court.

After it burnt down, the Moth Women’s Association used the old tea room from the Pavilion to accommodate servicemen who were stationed in Durban during World War II. A pamphlet for servicemen advertises a Stand Easy Club at the Pavilion Tea Room on the corner of Old Fort Road and Marine Parade, presumably the same building.

It is not sure when those out buildings were demolished, but today the site of the original Pavilion is a car park and open parkland.

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