Baxter Hall
Item
Building Name
Baxter Hall
Description
Named after William Duncan Baxter (son-in-law of J.W. Jagger). Born in Dundee in 1868, Baxter came to Cape Town as his uncle's successor at age 18. He learned the ropes, becoming a successful
businessman when he took over the business in 1895. He was Mayor of Cape Town in 1907 and was a City Councillor for 11 years. His interests extended to education: he was a generous supporter of the university during his lifetime. On his death in 1960, he left the university a legacy of more than R500 000 with the express wish that this be used to build a theatre to promote the arts in Cape Town. He was, like Jagger, chairman of the university finance committee and was chairman of the UCT Council, from 1945-1960. Inspired by Jagger, Baxter was committed to the university’s growth, joining the UCT community at the time of the Groote Schuur campus construction in 1921. In total, he worked with the university for 33 years on both the Building and Finance committees. At the age of 89, he marched with Chancellor Centlivres and Prof
R.W. James in the university's protest march against the principle of academic segregation. Source: Origins of Names of Buildings at the University of Cape Town, Mr M. Musemwa (Department of History UCT, 1993). Baxter Theatre Centre. Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. William Duncan Baxter. 12 December 1940. Quinn, G. 1962. W. D. Baxter. UCT, Dec. 1908. Quinn, G. 1962.A theatre for Cape Town. In Vita Musica Vol. 1 (2). Archives: Baxter.
businessman when he took over the business in 1895. He was Mayor of Cape Town in 1907 and was a City Councillor for 11 years. His interests extended to education: he was a generous supporter of the university during his lifetime. On his death in 1960, he left the university a legacy of more than R500 000 with the express wish that this be used to build a theatre to promote the arts in Cape Town. He was, like Jagger, chairman of the university finance committee and was chairman of the UCT Council, from 1945-1960. Inspired by Jagger, Baxter was committed to the university’s growth, joining the UCT community at the time of the Groote Schuur campus construction in 1921. In total, he worked with the university for 33 years on both the Building and Finance committees. At the age of 89, he marched with Chancellor Centlivres and Prof
R.W. James in the university's protest march against the principle of academic segregation. Source: Origins of Names of Buildings at the University of Cape Town, Mr M. Musemwa (Department of History UCT, 1993). Baxter Theatre Centre. Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. William Duncan Baxter. 12 December 1940. Quinn, G. 1962. W. D. Baxter. UCT, Dec. 1908. Quinn, G. 1962.A theatre for Cape Town. In Vita Musica Vol. 1 (2). Archives: Baxter.
Address
2 Show Road,Lower Campus, Rosebank
Campus
Lower
Latitude
-33.954219
Longitude
18.47006
Building Number
250
Building Code
2500
status
Owned
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
 Baxter, William Duncan |
Building | Physical Object |
 The Academic Year |
Building | Physical Object |
 Portrait of Joan van den Ende (1957-1976) |
Building | Physical Object |
 Portrait of Ann Sass (1977-1996) |
Building | Physical Object |
