Joburg Heritage
Tours in Johannesburg

The miners’ tents and tin shacks soon gave way to brick buildings. But within three years there were three storey buildings and the Gezondheitskomittee had appointed a building inspector. We have been widening our scope over the last 28 years and finally taken the plunge and changed our name to correctly reflect the work we do. The City of Johannesburg has grown immensely and the task is huge, but there is a need for a proactive organisation ready to do battle and defend our City’s heritage. There is also a need to recognise that adaptive re-use is essential. We can’t hang on to every old building in this dynamic metropolis. Sometimes it will be Adapt or Die, but there are some places which are such treasures that it will be Beware! The letter accompanying asks that the Mayor give an unequivocal written reply assuring the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation that he will uphold the title deed and ensure that Joubert Park is used for the recreation and entertainment of the people of Johannesburg and nothing else. This was done and then the completed document was delivered to the City of Johannesburg. Judging from the questions asked it seemed they favoured the Precinct Plan. All objections were withdrawn and to the best of our understanding the principles of the Precinct Plan were accepted not only by the applicant but also by the Townships Board. The Old Cinerama with the Eduardo Villa panel on the side. Searching the Museum Africa Archives Linda found BUILDING PLANS for two of these eateries on wheels. We would like to restore this so that the lovely timber windows are all matching and consistent. The first task the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation undertook after its establishment was to assess the buildings in the centre of town and publish these on our websites and, hopefully, also on the City of Johannesburg’s website. The City commissioned a number of excellent surveys on the City Centre, but they were never taken to next stage of assigning a value judgment on whether the buildings should be protected or not. We have used these reports by Dr Johann Bruwer as the basis for our assessment. This could also be one of truly exceptional buildings like Patidar Mansions. CHANGES ARE POSSIBLE, BUT DEMOLITION WILL BE RESISTED. So we have drawn up a list of preferred practitioners. The Foundation defines a heritage architect as a professional architect who either has a qualification in heritage architecture or who has demonstrable experience and skill in the conservation of buildings or places of architectural, aesthetic or historical significance. The small jam pot in our letterhead is not without meaning or to bring sweetness into your life. These tiny stamps are used on the escutcheon plates of the old City Hall and a stylized version is used to number the routes through the city. Set up to retain the historic architectural heritage of Johannesburg Foundation Trust.