Nairobi comes across as the melting pot of many cultures not just Kenyan but international as well but do you know it also has some really old buildings?
Luckily, architects back then were more serious so these buildings have been tested and have stood that testing.
Built in 1907, Nairobi Post Office is now known as the General Post Office (GPO) and still stands at the same place along Kenyatta Avenue. It has undergone several renovations over the years, changing from what looked like a two-storey building to what it is now.
The Macmillan Library was built in the late 1920s and is still standing today along Banda Street. Lady Lucy Macmillan commissioned its construction in memory of her late husband, Sir William Northrup McMillan (1872-1925). The building is made of blue stone finished with a plaster.
All Saints Cathedral begun its construction in 1917 and was fully completed in 1952. The design is by one Temple Moore who was said to be one of the most outstanding architects at the time.
The Standard Chartered Bank Building along Kenyatta Avenue built in the 1930s for the Standard Bank of South Africa is another of the landmarks that you cannot miss in Nairobi. It is built using large hewn stones which makes it fit for a bank.
Kipande House hosts KCB just opposite the GPO. It was built in 1913.
Despite its stature, it once boasted the tallest clock tower in town until City Hall clock tower was built in 1957. Like the Macmillan Library, the exterior of Kipande House is made of blue stone.
Jamia Mosque along Banda Street was built later in 1925.
Hilton Hotel built in 1969 lies on a piece of land that was initially used as a bus station.
The Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) was built in 1973 along Harambee Avenue. It was once the tallest building in town until the construction of the Times Tower in 2000.
The Co-operative House built in 1981 was also among the best built and it was a landmark in the days before the 1998 bombing in Nairobi. It hosted the American Embassy back then.