The Three Castles Building is a landmark in downtown Johannesburg. It started life as a factory for the production of 'Three Castles' cigarettes with the facade becoming a powerful marketing tool for the brand. Initially 100 female workers were employed to roll the cigarettes but by the late 1890s this role was taken over by machines. According to John Shorten in The Johannesburg Saga, the factory was unable to keep up with demand despite producing over 300 000 cigarettes a day!
It appears as though the factory began production in 1895. There is some confusion about its construction date as the official opening ceremony, attended by President Kruger, only occurred in 1899. This was Kruger's last official visit to Johannesburg according to Shorten.
Today the structure is in a pitiful state and appears on South Africa's 'In Danger' list (click here to view). In the article below David Sieff provides some fascinating memories of the period when his family owned the building and argues that the building must be saved for future generations.
My mother had studied corsetry garment design before emigrating from Lithuania to South Africa in 1935. Working on the kitchen and dining room tables at home, they started a small garment manufacturing business, later graduating to premises in Anderson Street, opposite the rear of the Police Barracks. By the 1950s these premises were too small for the business and they moved to the Three Castles Building located on the corner of Marshall and Goud Streets.
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