We are very excited to publish this wonderful article from the Restorica archives (November 1976). M. A. P. Diemont Jr delves into the fascinating history of the design and construction of the old South African Reserve Bank Building in Cape Town. Today the building forms part of the Taj Hotel Complex. Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish. Restorica is the old journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation, today the Heritage Association of South Africa.
In September last year Cape Town’s South African Reserve Bank building - one of the city’s least known yet most fascinating landmarks - changed hands. It was bought by the Board of Executors, the oldest trust company in South Africa, and although the deed of sale was signed in 1968, transfer was delayed until 1975 when the Reserve Bank’s new foreshore premises were ready.
Situated in the old, conservative heart of Cape Town - between Adderley, Wale and St George’s Streets - this magnificent old building styled on the lines of Florence’s Pitti Palace, has the distinction of occupying the highest municipally rated land in the country.
The South African Reserve Bank Building (Architecture in South Africa - L Cumming-George)
But it is the building itself and its quaint history, probably never before publicised, that deserve attention. It forms yet another fascinating...
