Ansteys Building

I was very sad to learn of the passing of the architect Robin Fee a few days ago and especially sorry that I had not expressed to him in his lifetime my thanks for his role in the conservation of Joburg’s heritage.
 
I would like to pay tribute to Robin Fee for two extraordinary instances where he put Johannesburg’s old buildings above any profit he or his firm could make if they had upheld their clients’ demands for demolition.
 
The first was the row of small shops in Diagonal Street which in 1988 The Star had sold to JCI. Robin was commissioned to develop skyscraper offices for Ernst and Young. Diagonal Street at that time was developing fast thanks to the re-location of the Stock Exchange to the north end. It seemed quite logical that all these tiny shops so quaint in which Indian shopkeepers had been plying their trade for more than 80 years with families living in rooms above the shops, should be replaced by huge office blocks. That was Joburg and the direction the city was taking and has always taken.

Nathanson's Building was almost lost (The Heritage Portal)

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My acknowledgement and huge thanks to Clive Chipkin, Marc Latilla and Alkis Doucakis who generously gave me their views and drove me to improvements and further research. Thank you.

Sometimes falling upon an artwork that appeals because of the subject or scenery can lead one to an artist and a great deal more besides. This week I encountered (and purchased) a wonderful lithograph of old Johannesburg. It was love at first sight. This fine lithograph in black and white (illustration above) is by the 20th century English artist Charles Ernest Peers. Peers made his home in South Africa from 1904 and died in 1944.

The lithograph has no date but from clues in the picture, the date is likely to be 1937. The composition shows a somewhat dreamy view of the old city, filled with buildings, churches, the Great Park Synagogue and in the far distance a mine dump to the south (could the mine dump be Village Main?). Spires and steeples of at least six churches feature. It is a picture that deserves magnifying glass inspection. Close examination shows that the tallest skyscraper in the background is the Ansteys building and it is still under construction. Hence a guess at a date as circa 1937.

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This is an article that we have been wanting to write for years. We have always been amazed how the six storey Markhams building was once the tallest building in the city and thought it would be fascinating to trace the record breakers over the decades. The list is definitely a work in progress and we will need your help to generate a complete picture. Feel free to add your comments below the article. [Updated 2019]

While one could go back further, our list begins with the Palace Buildings located on the corner of Pritchard and Rissik Streets and built in 1889 (demolished in the 1950s). The five storey building was a landmark for decades, reaching 28.35m into the sky.

The Palace Building (Mining & Magnates)

In 1897, a new landmark building rose above the mining town... the six storey Markhams building, located on the corner of Eloff and Pritchard Streets (still standing today - well at least the facades and clock tower). It would hold the height record until 1902/3. [we still need to get an accurate height measurement]

The Markhams Building

After the War, construction began on the new...