TheEmpire Exhibition, South Africa, held inJohannesburg, was intended to mark that city's jubilee and was opened by theGovernor-General of the Union of South Africa on 15 September 1936.[3] It was the first exhibition held in theUnion of South Africa[3] following two earlier exhibitions inCape Colony in1877 and1892.[4] The idea of an empire exhibition in South Africa was first discussed in 1934 by the Buy Empire Committee of Johannesburg. On 9 January 1935, the Grand Council of the Federation of British Industries passed a resolution for a proposal to hold an Empire Exhibition in Johannesburg in 1936 in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of the city.[citation needed]
A site of 100 acres in Milner Park was secured for the exhibition. Here were built about 100 buildings including eight pavilions from foreign nations and eight main exhibition buildings, the largest being the Hall of Industries.[citation needed]
TheSchlesinger African Air Race was held in conjunction with the exhibition, with I W Schlesinger giving £10,000 in prize money.[5]
TheVictoria Falls and Transvaal Power Company (nowEskom) sponsored the building of an art deco tower made of reinforced concrete which overlooked the main axis of the fair. This remained standing after the fair and after a period of use as the north tower of a cable car system became a tuck shop and security office for theUniversity of the Witwatersrand's west campus.[8]The Transvaal Chamber of Mines had a pavilion with dioramas, fountains, a pillar representing the gold output from the Witwatersrand mines from 1933 to 1935, and a life size replica of mine workings.[9]There was a hall of South African Industries,[10] a South African Iron and Steel Industry pavilion,[11]and theBritish South Africa Company presented a series of pictures to represent the history of Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia).[citation needed]
^Hughes, Dorothy L (2008). "Johannesburg 1036–1937". In Findling, John E; Pelle, Kimberley D (eds.).Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 289.ISBN9780786434169.
