The old Durban Railway Station is a much-loved landmark that plays a key role in Durban's tourism offering. It is hard to imagine there was a time when the powers that be planned to demolish the structure and redevelop the site. The article below which appeared in the Sunday Tribune on 10 October 1976, begins by describing the threat to the building and then highlights its architectural and historical significance. Thankfully the façade of the building was saved with a new office building built behind. The locomotive workshops were also preserved and converted for retail use.
The article was republished in the 1977 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish.
For 50 years Durban residents have been fighting about whether to destroy or preserve the much maligned old red-brick railway station which stands on the corner of Pine and Gardiner streets. "Tear it down," shout its opponents, while equally ardent voices cry for it to be made a national monument.
The most recent wrangle was sparked by former city councillor Pat Geary, who advocated the destruction of the building so often described as a "badly iced cake". In a Tribune Property report she called it a monstrosity. The Natal Provincial Institute of Architects were quick to challenge her and renew their call for its preservation.
And this week Durban architect Ivor Daniel, who is determined to save the old station, outlined its...
