The Old Presidency or Ou Presidensie is a museum, art gallery and theatre in the city of Bloemfontein, South Africa, located on President Brand Street in the heart of the city. The former residence of the President of the Republic of the Orange Free State from 1886 until 1899 when the city fell to the British Empire during the Second Anglo-Boer War.HistoryHenry Douglas Warden erected the "Residency" a 'nederige kleihuis' (Afrikaans for humble clay-house), a farm structure built out of sun-dried mud-bricks as the first structure on the site of the current Presidency. The independence of the Orange River Sovereignty in 1854 from British rule saw the new presidents of the republic take up quarters in the "Residency", reportedly Presidents Hoffman, Boshoff and Pretorius all lived in the dwelling during their terms in office. The Volksraad, (Afrikaans for People's council) or parliament of the Orange Free State approved plans for a new Presidency in 1860 but could however only afford £800 for the restoration of the old residency.In the early 1880s the Volksraad decided that the cost of maintenance was unfeasible and that the building was no longer suitable as the official residence of the head of state of an independent country. Thus in 1882 President Brand submitted plans for a competition to design the 'new' Presidency to the Volksraad in 1882, consequently twenty-seven proposals were submitted in 1884 for the prize money of £100. The Johannesburg firm of architects, Lennox Canning and Goad won the competition, unfortunately their design surpassed the budgeted £10,000 and were asked to simplify their design to the final cost of £12,200, and with some reluctance this was accepted. The excavation of new foundations for the new Presidency was deemed too costly, subsequently it was decided to build the New Presidency on top of the Old Presidency. Construction started on 22 May 1885, when the foundation stone was laid, and the building was completed in 1886 with President Brand taking up quarters until his death in 1888. Presidents F.W. Reitz (1888–95) and M.T. Steyn (1896-1900) also resided in the building until the British occupation of Bloemfontein on 13 March 1900 when the building served as the headquarters of Field-Marshal Lord Roberts during the Second Anglo-Boer War.
