The City Times is proud to revive a monthly history piece compiled by local history enthusiast Glynis
Cox Millett-Clay, which she has named Benoni Bygones.

The Benoni Town Council worked from a cottage in Cranbourne Avenue in early 1907, which also served as the municipal offices. As the work increased, it became far too small.

As conditions became more and more difficult, so the council acquired a block of four stands on the corner of Market Avenue and Bedford Street.

The first municipal building in Benoni was erected in 1908 to a design prepared by Robert Macbeth Robertson, a leading architect of the time (note: Market Avenue became Prince’s Avenue when His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales paid Benoni a visit on June 22, 1925).

There were both Bedford Street and Bedford Avenue in Benoni at that time, so Bedford Street was renamed Tom Jones Street in 1919, after the leader of the Labour Party on the town council.

 

Sir George Farrar was very influential in establishing and planning the layout of central Benoni and named many of the streets after his hometown of Bedford in England.

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In 1912, the first fire station was built next to the municipal building, facing Bedford Street, and it became a proud addition to the town and a desperately needed one.

In 1920, new office space was required, so extensions were built along Prince’s Avenue towards the Market Square.

Benoni City Times occupied its first office space during that time.

In the meantime, plans were being drawn up for a new and larger municipality further down Prince’s Avenue on the old Market Square.

The foundation stone was laid by Walter B Madeley, the Labour MP for Benoni. on January 14, 1920.

The building was known for its extensive marble work, heavy teak windows and doors with beautiful wooden floors. The entrance faced Rothsay Street.

In 1923, the mayor, Charles Ashton Rickard (1922-1923), declared it open with a golden key that was presented to him.

The Carnegie Library, a gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, was built in red brick in Cranbourne Avenue at the same time.

WG Griffiths was appointed the first librarian, and the town council provided the library with 3 000 books.

Both the municipal building and the Carnegie Library were built by Reid & Knuckey.

In July 1973, the library and municipal buildings were demolished to make way for the Benoni Plaza.

The present municipal buildings, known as Benoni Civic Centre, were established in July 1974 on the corner of Elston Avenue and Tom Jones Street.

The new library was built at the same time to meet modern requirements, replacing the old Carnegie Library.

(Source: Benoni History Book by JB Whitehouse/story by: Glynis Cox Millett-Clay, May 10, 2026).

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