It is with regret that I inform the heritage community of Johannesburg that a special Robert Howden house has been demolished. No application for demolition was received by the Joint Plans Committee East of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and it would appear that an application for demolition was neither received nor approved by the Provincial Heritage Resources Agency of Gauteng (PHRAG).
I mourn the loss of this lovely heritage home. It happened in a flash with a new owner choosing demolition ahead of preservation. Bulldozers have flattened all. Lorry tracks form ridges on the friable red earth. At the rear of the property, the original double garage and the staff quarters still stand; probably still useful to store building material or be a building site office or house a security guard.
The Robert Howden home has been demolished (Kathy Munro)
At the front of the property on 4th Avenue there is a front boundary wall and stylish main driveway gates. But those are not heritage features. Although in keeping with the arts and crafts style of the house, the wall and gates were erected in the last decade.
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