Herbert Prins

Herbert Maurice John Prins, distinguished architect, professional conservation and heritage architect and practitioner passed away on Wednesday, 15th April 2020, just 12 days short of his 93rd birthday. His was a long, rich and remarkably productive life. Herbert was a role model in his work and ongoing commitment to the heritage of Johannesburg and other parts of South Africa until just a couple of months before his death. It was a joy to celebrate his 90th birthday in 2017. His professional career extended over 72 years - surely a record. I found his last email letter to a discussion group was on 10th March 2020 (all about the draft regulations for property practitioners) and in January 2020 he took a stand on the proposal to move the oldest of Johannesburg’s war memorials, the Indian Memorial on the Observatory Ridge; Herbert firmly said “ no”.

Indian Monument on Observatory Ridge (Vinesh Selvan)

Herbert’s career fell into three parts - professional architect in his early career (1948 to 1970), an academic at Wits University (1970-1996) and then a third career as a specialist conservation consultant and eminent heritage authority, with his own practice (1997 to 2020). Of course there was a degree of overlap.

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Many readers will have heard the wonderful news that Herbert Prins received the Wits University Gold Medal last week (28 March 2019). The heritage community salutes a living legend! Below is the full citation.

Mr Herbert Prins is a distinguished architect and one of South Africa’s most eminent authorities in the field of architecture, design and heritage. He is renowned for his work in heritage objects conservation, a relatively new field, for which the modalities of practice are still being established.

Mr Prins served at the forefront of the development in this area long before historic conservation became a popular word in the discipline and his contributions in the field both in South Africa and abroad, are evident.  At the age of 91, he continues to actively and energetically contribute to public interest projects in Gauteng and beyond.

Herbert Prins

A Wits graduate, Mr Prins qualified as an architect in 1952 and holds a five-year professional Bachelor of Architecture degree, a Masters of Architecture qualification and a Diploma in Town Planning.  A dedicated teacher, he practiced as a full time architect and then served as a faculty member in the Wits Department of Architecture for 26 years, serving as the Head of Department, a member of Senate and a member of the board of the faculty. At Wits, he was responsible for developing the...