The middle of the Twentieth Century saw the independence of most countries on the African continent. Those euphoric times brought forward-looking sentiments and a wish to break with the past. As an architectural movement, Modernism was ideal for the day, and newly independent countries had extensive building programs to assert themselves as fully functioning nations.
Hotels are one type of building that illustrates the complex architectural and political history of the times. Some were built specifically to host international delegations, others to boost tourism, while some were built as strong leaders' wishes. Although a marginal building type, several hotels across Africa stand as physical records of important parts of their respective country's history. Following an exploration of the histories of West Africa's Modernist Hotels, this second article turns to East Africa to uncover the ways in which this understated typology relates to larger histories of independence and national identity.
Like many building types of the period, hotels were not considered old enough for preservation. Some were neglected completely while some were renovated insensitively such that they became no longer recognisable. A few were well-maintained or refurbished appropriately and with respect to their initial design intents. The original hotel projects, and any later renovations, tell a story of the respective nation's history, its leadership, and its relationship with other countries.
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Welcoming the World: Modernist Hotels in West AfricaAraak Hotel, Khartoum
In the heart of the city center of Khartoum, Sudan, lies a large brown building abandoned for several decades. Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of al-Arabi market area, the Araak Hotel stands quiet and solemn, a relic of a distant past. It comprises an elongated tower of seven stories sitting on a broad two-story plinth occupying a full city block. The plinth consists of a colonnade on the ground floor with commercial units, following the local urban morphology of central Khartoum, and a rhythm of vertical windows on the upper floor. The tower above is oriented on an east-west axis with expressed staircases at either end. There are 24 rooms per floor with deep balconies facing north and south, in a typical tropical modernism style.
Despite lying in a dilapidated state, the Araak Hotel is an important piece of architectural history. Completed in 1978, it is representative of a cohort of post-independence Modernist buildings constructed in Sudan and other African countries. Its architect was El-Amin Muddathir, who graduated from the first batch of the first school of architecture in the country at the University of Khartoum. After training with architects George Stefanidis, designer of Khartoum's first reinforced concrete-framed building, and then Alexandre O. Petermuller, designer of the Sudan National Museum, Muddathir established the country's first private architectural firm headed by a locally educated architect.
Initially, the landowners wanted to develop an apartment building on the plot. However, delays to the project due to disputes with commercial leaseholders on the site brought on another opportunity. Sudan was due to host the fifteenth summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1978 and required additional hotel accommodation, thus, the Araak Hotel came into being. The summit itself was held at the recently constructed Friendship Hall.
Nile Hotel and International Conference Centre, Kampala
Proceeding up the Nile River to Uganda, one finds another hotel complex constructed for an OAU summit. The Nile Hotel and International Conference Center sit side by side in the capital city, Kampala, and are interconnected with a covered walkway. Their complex history meant they were built successively and not as a single assembly of buildings, hence their difference in appearance. The International Conference Center was constructed in the early 1970s for the eighth summit of the OAU but, following a coup d'etat, this was hastily changed to Ethiopia. A few years later, both buildings together hosted the twelfth OAU summit.
The hotel consisted of a six-story linear building with an expressed staircase at one end and a regular grid of deep balconies on its main elevations. The conference center was built as a hexagon in plan, with a textured façade of folded aluminum panels creating shading from the sun. The architecture carried importance. A postage stamp that was issued to commemorate the occasion showed the hotel and the conference center. Both buildings were designed by the Yugoslav firm of Energoprojekt. This link with Yugoslavia carries historical importance as both countries were members of the Non-Aligned Movement, with Yugoslavia being a founding member and one of the few from Europe.
Like many Modern Movement buildings across the continent, the Nile Hotel and International Conference Center were not old enough to be considered for preservation. Efforts were made by unofficial groups to preserve some buildings in Uganda, but an arbitrary year of 1969 was decided as the latest date of construction for a building to be considered, thus discounting many modern buildings built in the 1970s and beyond. The Nile Hotel was renovated in 2006 with decorative features making it completely unrecognisable. The International Conference Center still appears mostly as originally constructed but remains at risk.
Hotel des Milles Collines, Kigali
Whilst some hotels on the continent were constructed for major events, some became historically significant after construction. Further up the Nile River, in neighboring Kigali, Rwanda, is the Hotel des Milles Collines. It translates to the hotel of the thousand hills, reflecting its position on a prominent hill in the city in the vicinity of other important buildings. The hotel was commissioned by Belgian Airlines Sabena and constructed in the 1970s. It is composed of five stories with, once again, a grid of deep balconies on the main façade and a stair core on one end. It is a clearly Modernist building, constructed of reinforced concrete and with precast concrete elements.
During the 1994 genocide, the hotel sheltered up to 700 Tutsi Rwandans. The events were made famous by the book and film Hotel Rwanda, which tells of the successful efforts of the manager in keeping those in the hotel safe. Thus, the historical importance of the hotel was due to events that occurred after its construction. It underwent renovations in the 2010s, but its Modernist character was retained, keeping its clean grid of balconies and expressed concrete structure.
Whilst many hotels are dismissed as mere commercial ventures, many historic hotels in Africa tell complex stories of nation-building, major events, and the architectural development of the respective country. Those built in the middle of the twentieth century are particularly at risk from alteration, demolition, or neglect as they are too young for protection by local conservation laws, although there are examples of sensitive restoration and preservation.
This article is part of an ArchDaily series called "Rediscovering Modernism in Africa." Many buildings from the Modern Movement in Africa are of high architectural quality. Despite being several decades old and historically important, they have only recently gained attention in international discussions. This series explores this rich history. As always, at ArchDaily, we greatly appreciate our readers' contributions. If you have a project you think should be featured, please submit your suggestions.
