Baxter Theatre

Item

Building Name

Baxter Theatre

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. After considering various sites in Bree Street, Long Street and the foreshore, the university council decided in 1968 to build the Baxter Theatre on vacant land between the College of Music and Main Road, Rosebank. Jack Barnett and Leslie Broer were appointed as architects and construction started in 1974. The Baxter Theatre was opened in 1977. In 1979, the Institute of Architects gave Barnett and Broer an Award of Merit for their design of the Baxter. 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. http://www.uct.ac.za/about/intro/history/timeline/arts_culture/.

Address

2 Main Road,Lower Campus, Rondebosch

Campus

Lower

Latitude

-33.957079

Longitude

18.470531

Building Number

266

Building Code

2660

status

Owned

Item sets

UCT Buildings

UCT Buildings with Artworks

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isPartOf
Title	Alternate label	Class
Baxter Theatre	Within UCT Building	Physical Object
Concert Hall	Within UCT Building	Physical Object
Golden Arrow Studio Theatre	Within UCT Building	Physical Object