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History: Johan Nicolaas Brits built his simple ‘hartbeeshuisie’ about 300 metres from the spring, somewhere near the site of the Presidency. When Henry Warden arrived, Brits helped him to build a ‘kleihuis’ for his Residency on this site. This Residency was taken over by the Republican Government in 1854, and it is probable that the first presidents, Hoffman, Boshof and Pretorius, lived in it. In 1860 the Volksraad approved plans for a new residence for the State President, but owing to financial stringency only R1 600 was voted for the ‘restoration’ of the old house. In 1864 R1 000 and in 1874 a further R2 000 was provided for renovations and alterations. President Brand must have used these funds to good effect to have converted the old house into a reasonable Presidency.
In the early l the maintenance of the old Presidency again demanded considerable expenditure by the State, and in any case it was felt that the building was not a suitable home for the head of an independent State, so in 1882 the Volksraad authorised the President to submit plans and specifications for a new Presidency at its next session. But in the next year Brand proposed that a competition be held for designs for the new building. A prize of R200 was offered and in 1884 there were twenty-seven designs to choose from. A special selection committee accepted the design of Lennox Canning and Goad, a Johannesburg firm.
Meanwhile another committee presided over by Dr. C. J. G. Krause once again examined the old building and described its condition as ‘miserable and a scandal’. On their recommendation the Volksraad decided to place R20 000 on the estimates for a new Presidency, but it soon became obvious that Lennox Canning’s design would cost much more than R20 000. He was asked to simplify the design. Even when this had been done and tenders were called for, the lowest tender was R24 400 and this was accepted.
Suddenly a problem arose. Great difficulty was found in choosing the most suitable site for the new building. President Brand preferred Halley’s Koppie behind the present building, but the excavations would have been too costly, so it was decided to build the new Presidency on the site of the old one. The work was to start on the south side of the old Presidency ; the right wing was to be taken down first and the demolition of the rest of the building was to follow as the work progressed. On 22nd May, 1885, during his twenty-second year of office, President Brand officiated at the laying of the foundation stone. The occasion was celebrated by a great procession from the Government Building.
The building was completed in 1886 and The Friend published a glowing description of the new Presidency.
The first occupant, of course, was President J. H. Brand who lived there until his death on 16th July, 1888. After him the Presidency was occupied by President F. W. Reitz (1888-1895) and President M. T. Steyn (1896-1900). During Steyn’s time such important visitors as President Paul Kruger and Sir Alfred Milner were received there.
After Bloemfontein was occupied by British forces on 13th March, 1900, Field Marshall Lord Roberts used the building, and from 1901 to 1910 it served as Government House and was occupied by the Governor of the Orange River Colony, Sir H. J. Goold-Adams. After that it was used for educational purposes by the Government of the Union. In 1933 it was transferred to the Provincial Administration and served successively as a school, a boarding-house, as Defence Force Offices, as offices of the Orange Free State Education Department and as the Provincial Library.
Visual Description: This dignified presidential residence stands in Eunice Road, which is the extension of President Brand Street, just south of the Bloemspruit.
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Construction Date: 1886
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