Barbican Building

In the article below, journalist Lucille Davie unpacks the long journey towards the restoration of the iconic Barbican Building in the Johannesburg CBD. The piece first appeared on the City of Joburg's website on 8 April 2011. Click here to view more of Davie's work.

After 16 long years of neglect, Old Mutual can take a bow for restoring the dignity of the splendid Barbican, one of the city’s iconic buildings.

The 80-year-old, 10-storey building looks glorious, basking in the renewal of its freshly cleaned exterior, and floor after floor of new concrete screed floors, sparkling white walls, and restored balconies.

Barbican from above (The Heritage Portal)

“We see the Barbican refurbishment as the latest of the many strides over the last decade which have firmly turned the inner city away from decline,” said Ben Kodisang, managing director of Old Mutual Investment Group Property Investments (OMIGPI).

Old Mutual bought the building in 1995, and after clearing it of vagrants, bricked it up, leaving it to deteriorate. After years of pressure from the City and heritage bodies, restoration began in mid-2010, and the fruits of that work were revealed this week.

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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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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...