Survey Form Open

CATALOGUE NO: AT-1 DATE RECORDED: JANUARY – JUNE 2006

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JOHANNESBURG METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY

HERITAGE ASSESSMENT SURVEYING FORM

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Compiled by: Dr JJ Bruwer, 2002-07-29 JJ Bruwer ã

Cellphone: +27 82 325 5823

NAME OF PLACE: MEDICAL CITY

Photograph: Catharina JM Bruwer.

Above: View of the Eloff and Jeppe Streets corner of Medical City with

Essanby House (AT-2) to the right. (CJMB)

Previous/alternative name/s : Walter Mansions

LOCATION: Street : corners Jeppe, Eloff and Bree

Street number : 106 Eloff

: (171 Jeppe; 102, 104, 106, 108 Eloff; 254 Bree)

Stand Number : 4848

Previous Stand Number: 1271, 656

Block number : AT

Suburb : Johannesburg

GIS reference :

ZONING: Current use/s :

Previous use/s :

DESCRIPTION OF PLACE:

Height :

Levels above street level : 15

Levels below street level : none

On-site parking : yes

The building was designed with shops to street, a Mezzanine Floor, two parking levels (i.e. First and Second Floor), and 9 office floors. (CJMB)

According to Chipkin both Bosman Building and Medical City has “matching blank end-wall panels; counterpart podiums for pavement shops and car-parking above; identical brass anodised sun-screens to the lower levels; and compatible louvred frontages to the main high-rise accommodation towers above. The high-rise towers represent neat modular statements of professional accommodation protected from direct sun penetration by perimeter sun-screens: adjustable horizontal louvers pivoted between a modular system of freestanding mullions that are bracketed into projecting floor-slabs.”

(Chipkin, C.M.: Johannesburg Style; Architecture & Society…).

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS:

Walls: see DESCRIPTION OF PLACE

Roof: flat, reinforced concrete

Windows: steel casements

SITE FEATURES:

ALTERATIONS:

INTEGRITY:

INSCRIPTION:

ARCHITECT:

Stauch, Vorster Partners

BUILDER:

CONSTRUCTION DATE:

Date on plans : June 1962

Approval of plans :

Completion date :

“In the 1960s Strauch was responsible for several major building in Johannesburg, three of them in Eloff Street alone – Truworths, Medical City and Bosman Building, as well as the Netherlands Bank headquarters building at the corner of Fox and Simmonds streets.”

(Chipkin, C.M.: Johannesburg Style; Architecture & Society…).

BUILDING STYLE:

Johannesburg Late Modernist. 1960s.

According to Chipkin: “Examples of a light, elegant architecture, an alternative to the heaviness and seriousness of purpose of the skyscraper style as exemplified by Rinaldi’s Escom Centre. Medical City and Bosman buildings formed a consistent modern townscape on opposite sides of Eloff Street at the Bree Street intersection”. “The sun protection and the bold forms on the Eloff Street buildings have a recognisable Brazilian flavour, but it is Brazil mediated by Pretoria”.

(Chipkin, C.M.: Johannesburg Style; Architecture & Society…).

BUILDING TYPE:

Shops to street (with parking to First and Second Floors) and office building. (CJMB)

ENVIRONMENT:

CONDITION:

The office space of the building is currently vacant. The building appears neglected with broken windows and lack of basic maintenance work is evident. (CJMB)

URGENT ACTION:

SAHRA RECORD REGARDING ALTERATIONS, RENOVATIONS, RESTORATION:

PROTECTION STATUS: (under National Heritage Resources Act, 1999)

General protection: Section 34(1) structure/s

Formal protection: provincial heritage site

national heritage site

provisional protection

heritage area

listed in provincial heritage

resources register

Relevant Gazette Notice:

Gazette description:

FORMER PROTECTION STATUS: (under National Monuments Act, 1969)

NOTES:

DEEDS INFORMATION:

Original ownership: African City Prop Trust 1952 Pty Ltd.

Registration Date: 2002-08-27

Document: T7196/1957

Amount:

Ownership: Pangbourne Prop Ltd.

Document: T48648/2002

Amount: R57 230.00

Ownership: Apexhi Prop Ltd.

Document: T5689/2003

Amount: R3185 407.00

Ownership: Presmooi (Pty) Ltd.

Document: T7134/2005

Amount: R4564 107.00

PRE-HISTORY OF SITE:

“The original name of Medical City was Walter Mansions, and Walter Mansions and Bosman Building as well as African City and Marlborough House were all Eloff Street sites owned by African City Properties.” (Chipkin, C.M.: Johannesburg Style; Architecture & Society…).

By 1954 Filesta Jewellers occupied the 171 Jeppe Street portion of this site.

(The Rand-Pretoria Directory 1954 (Comprising Complete Alphabetical And Trades Directories of Johannesburg, Pretoria And Reef Towns), Cape Times Limited, Cape Town, 1954.) (CJMB)

HISTORY:

“African City Properties, the historic property trust that erected the ACPT Building on Market Square in 1896. In the 1950s this property group was controlled by Glazer Brothers working tandem with Vokskas and other rising financial interest. Their architects were Obel & Obel but in effect they were Wayburne & Wayburne, which is the reason why in 1956 there were large name-boards on four major Eloff Street sites bearing the legend: ‘Architects Obel & Obel’ (in large letters) ‘with Wayburne & Wayburne’ in …(small lettering)… The two story podiums of Walter Mansions and Bosman Building were under construction in 1955-6, foundation loadings and column modules being predetermined by Wayburne designs. This was the stage of development reached when the banks asserted control over ACPT. In December 1956 Rusty Bernstein, the senior designer in Wayburne’s office, was arrested as one of the principal organisers of the Congress of the People campaign and charged with high treason.” (Chipkin, C.M.: Johannesburg Style; Architecture & Society…).

GENERAL NOTES:

Estimated cost of building :

Estimated cost of drainage :

Accommodation approved :

Valuation at completion :

Occupied :

PREVIOUS TENANT/S:

CURRENT TENANT/S:

Pep Clothing Store

Mojo – Hypnotic Footwear

Multi Serv

Dhambhi Cellular & Repairs

Water Leaf World

Rand Handbags

SOURCES:

Published Sources

Chipkin, C.M.: Johannesburg Style; Architecture & Society 1880s – 1960s, David Philip Publishers, Cape Town, 1993.

The Rand-Pretoria Directory 1954 (Comprising Complete Alphabetical And Trades Directories of Johannesburg, Pretoria And Reef Towns), Cape Times Limited, Cape Town, 1954.

Van Der Waal, G-M.: From Mining Camp to Metropolis, The buildings of Johannesburg 1886-1940, Chris Van Rensburg Publications, Johannesburg, 1987.

Unpublished Sources

Architects In South Africa 1780 – 1940; Draft manuscript, J Walker & G M van der Waal, 1992, HSRC, Pretoria.

Johannesburg Building, Space & Urban Feature Classification, 1998: Inner City - Metropolitan Planning, Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (Cool Factory).

Plans records of surveyed buildings, Marshallstown and City of Johannesburg: Archives, Building Control, Development Management, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

Opname Historiese Geboue In Johannesburg, Second Report June 1976, Inner City, RAU, unpublished.

Van Der Waal, G-M.: Die Karakter Van Die Argitektuur In Die Binnestad Van Johannesburg Tot 1920, unpublished thesis, RAU, November 1972.

Van Der Waal, G-M.: Die Boukuns van Johannesburg, 1886 – 1940, unpublished doctoral thesis, RAU, November 1984.

Rand Township Registry Johannesburg.

ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Historic Value:

Associated with historic person, group or organisation

Associated with historic event or activity

Architectural/Aesthetic value:

Important example of building type

Important example of a style or period

Fine details, workmanship or aesthetics

Work of a major architect or builder

Social/Spiritual/Linguistic value:

Associated with social, spiritual, linguistic, economic or political activity

Illustrates an historical period

Scientific/Technological value:

Example of industrial, technical or engineering development/achievement

New, rare or experimental building techniques

RECORDED BY:

Heritage Resources Management team Johann J Bruwer and Alezea Bruwer.

And Catharina JM Bruwer.

Photographs (unless otherwise indicated) by Johann J Bruwer and Alezea Bruwer.

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