Congress Hall (Paramaribo)

The Congress Hall (Dutch: Congreshal) is a convention and exhibition centre in Paramaribo, Suriname. It is located on Onafhankelijkheidsplein, and was completed in 1999.^[1]

Congress Hall
Location within Paramaribo
General information
Town or city	Paramaribo
Country	Suriname
Coordinates	5.82577°N 55.15222°W / 5.82577; -55.15222
Completed	1999[1]
Cost	ƒ 2 million.[2]
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Arie Verkuijl [nl][3]

Overview

In 1998, the Wijdenbosch government decided to build a convention centre for the 1999 CARICOM meeting.^[1] The Congress Hall was to be built on the location of the Palace Hotel.^[4] Arie Verkuijl [nl] was chosen to design the building.^[3] Verkuijl wanted a completely transparent building. Aluminium was not an option,^[5] therefore, the building was constructed using steel and acrylite, commonly known as plexiglass.^[6] The Congresshall was built in six months, but initially suffered from a leakage problem which required the replacement of the stage and flooring.^[1]

The former Palace Hotel

The Congress Hall is considered a controversial building. There are people who consider the building out of place among the historic wooden buildings in Paramaribo,^[1][3][6] and a poor replacement of the Palace Hotel,^[4] while others praise the vision of the architect.^[5] The statues of Jagernath Lachmon and Jopie Pengel are located on the square across the building.^[7]