Parktown

I think Heritage Portal readers will be interested in my archival sleuthing. I have found the blueprint of the original plan for the Parktown home Gordon Leith designed in 1927. Then called Morgenzon for the Coddingtons and built in 3rd Avenue Parktown, Johannesburg. The name changed to Le Tholonet and the house became the home of Clive and Irene Mennell after World War II. It was with great sadness that we reported the loss of this fine heritage home to fire in July 2018 (click here to view report).

The remains of Le Tholonet (Kathy Munro)

The plan I have located is an old blueprint and is important as it proves that this was a Gordon Leith design. Close study of the plans shows elevations and sections, materials to be used, what the original home would look like and all the technical details relating to vents, waste water, chimney and flue etc. There were later alterations but the house remained essentially true to the ideas of Leith.

...

Fire is the most destructive and frightening of all elements. A Johannesburg heritage home in Parktown, Le Tholonet, at 6 3rd Avenue, was lost to fire on 17th July 2018. On Wednesday this week Clive Chipkin and I embarked on an expedition to discover and if possible photograph Parktown and Saxonwold homes of a certain period. We were in search of the Cape Dutch architectural style and its variants in the old elite northern suburbs of Johannesburg.

In the case of Le Tholonet (definitely in Cape Dutch style) we particularly wished to pin down and discuss the glorious central gable of the heritage  home with its first floor lovers balcony, bedrooms at first floor level tucked under thatched eaves and the distinctive chimneys. Imagine our surprise and dismay to discover that the house has been lost to fire. The gates were ajar and it took us a moment or two to realize that all was not right. Only a shell of isolated walls remains. We were confronted by a scene of blackened destruction: burnt remains, blackened walls and collapsed floorboards. The security man on duty (once we had introduced ourselves and presented our credentials) told us that a massive fire had destroyed almost all of this beautiful home. His account was that there had been an electrical fault and with a thatch roof there was little hope of saving the home. On Wednesday, workmen were everywhere removing the debris, the charred remains and fractured black timbers. Twisted metal lay everywhere. Heaps of scrap, burnt out timber, iron, remains of ceiling boards and wooden library shelves piled up on the front lawn.

The home has a listing on the...

The wonderful article below, written by journalist Lucille Davie, looks at the history and preservation of one of Joburg's grandest historic mansions. The piece first first appeared on the City of Johannesburg's website on 23 March 2004. Click here to view more of Davie's work.

Lionel Phillips would surely approve of the new developments at his former mansion, Villa Arcadia, in Parktown. The house and property of 16 acres of prime real estate has been bought by Hollard Insurance and is to be developed into their future office complex with a careful balance between heritage and modern use.
 
And in the process, the mansion, designed by Herbert Baker, and believed to be his practice run for the Union Buildings in Pretoria, is to be saved from almost certain destruction.

A landmark historic mansion (The Heritage Portal)

 
Construction has begun, and residents would have noticed a large sandy scar and earth movers at the entrance to the mansion, on Oxford Road. Hollard expects to move into their new offices in October 2005.

Phillips, a wealthy Randlord and chairman of the influential Central Mining & Investment Corporation and president of the Chamber of Mines, moved with his family between England and Johannesburg between the early 1890s and 1914, in all living in the city for 12...

In the article below, journalist and joburg enthusiast Lucille Davie takes a look at the restoration of one of Parktown's historic homes. The piece first appeared on the City of Joburg's website on 31 March 2010. Click here to view more of Davie's work.

The restored Wanooka in Parktown has had a strong association over the years with engineers and general managers of the South African Railways and Harbours (SAR & H). But its accountants and auditors who have given it a new breath of life.
 
The house, built in 1902, was constructed for Henry Smith Greenwood, who was the resident engineer of the central division of the Central South African Railways. He lived in the Tudor-gabled Edwardian mansion for six years, until 1908, when he returned to his native Ontario in Canada.

A string of other engineers followed Greenwood, enjoying the house’s modest but attractive viewpoint at the westerly end of Parktown. The house’s significance, therefore, derives from its association with the development of the SAR & H.
 
Now, Wanooka is to be “an executive entertainment area that can host meetings and functions“.
 
The house has become part of the new offices and campus for KPMG, the auditing firm, together with the angular black glass building behind it, originally the Kangra / Hunt Leuchars & Hepburn Limited (HL&H) building and built in the mid-1980s. The architects, Impendulo Design Architects, demolished the office building, saying it was unusable, primarily because it had very limited parking.
 
The...

This is Number 12 Park Lane. This property lies between Clarendon Place and Park Lane. It is a property that abuts Hillbrow; it is the other side of the fence to the grand Reya Vaya rapid bus transport system. James Ball reported on the disgraceful state of the property in November 2017 (click here to view). Alas there has been no improvement. How very sad!

It was once a fine old heritage home and a premier Parktown address. It was a near neighbour of fine homes in Junction Avenue and Ridge Road. After it ceased to be a family home it usefully became the Dan Pienaar Memorial crèche. Dan Pienaar (1893 -1942) was a much admired South African military figure who fought in both world wars but is particularly remembered for his leadership in the North African campaigns. He was killed in a plane crash in 1942 on his way back to South Africa.

The current state of the property shows abuse, neglect, dereliction and decay. It is a ghostly abandoned mansion. The garden is wild and overgrown, the circular driveway sprouts weeds and cracked tar. There is no security presence... behind the gates stands a smashed guard house.

Abuse, neglect, dereliction and decay (Kathy Munro)

This once fine old home has a listing on The Heritage Register (click here to view). The architect was the firm of Aburrow...

A few weeks ago I noticed a post in the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation's facebook group highlighting the neglect of 12 Park Lane - Parktown's oldest surviving house (built circa 1895). The comments by concerned members of the community resonated with me as I have watched the historic property deteriorate over the past few years. The garden has been left to grow wild, windows are broken, cracks in the walls continue to spread and a portion of the balcony appears to have collapsed. Even the iconic blue plaque has been stolen highlighting an incredibly sad state of affairs.

Windows are broken and cracks in the walls are growing (The Heritage Portal)

Doors are missing (The Heritage Portal)

Peeling paint and plaster (The Heritage Portal)

[[{"fid":"4399","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"12 Park Lane - Rear Balcony Damage - Heritage Portal - 2017"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"12 Park Lane - Rear Balcony Damage - Heritage Portal...

7th November 2017 is the centenary of the Russian Revolution but also of the birth of one of South Africa’s greatest 20th century daughters, Helen Suzman. On Friday 3rd November a small group of Johannesburg citizens and family members of the Suzman clan gathered to remember and pay tribute to Helen Suzman, with the unveiling of a blue plaque on the pavement at 13 Eton Road Parktown. The plaque was unveiled by Helen’s daughters, Frances and Patricia (Francie and Patty).

This was an initiative of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation. Heritage doyenne, Flo Bird spoke with warmth and affection of Helen Suzman, her humanity and contribution to the fight for a democratic South Africa. We of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation are proud of her achievements. As the Progressive Party MP for Houghton she was a parliamentarian and sole voice of opposition, a doughty sharp tongued, brave anti-apartheid activist and fighter in a white Parliament for 13 years. She stood for liberalism and justice for all when in a minority of one. When Helen died in 2009 she was lauded and the speeches at the memorial event in Wits’ Great hall were fulsome in their recognition of her moral authority and her contribution to our history. The Helen Suzman Foundation continues to  work in her name.

The Wits Great Hall (The Heritage Portal)

Originally the Gavronsky family home stood on this generous sized stand, possibly an acre in expanse, when Eton Road was a street of private upper class homes in the premier suburb of Parktown. The original home is recalled by...

A few years ago, the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation organised a rare tour inside the iconic Parktown mansion Dolobran. Journalist and Johannesburg enthusiast, Lucille Davie was there and compiled the wonderful article below (originally published in the Saturday Star on 3 January 2015). Click here to view more of Davie's work.

For so long I have been infatuated with this house, peeping from between the trees and tall bamboo at the start of Oxford Road. That whimsical, eclectic mansion Dolobran. Recently I took a rare public tour of the house, which stares defiantly across the freeway at Herbert Baker’s more staid but still grand Northwards.

Northwards (The Heritage Portal)

Baker, Cecil John Rhodes’s favourite architect, has left his impressive footprint in the city with homes and churches dotted around the suburbs, as well as his own home, Stonehouse, not far from Northwards. Baker’s buildings are scattered around the country too, including the magisterial Union Buildings. 

Stonehouse (The Heritage Portal)

Pierneef Painting of the...

Flo Bird, Founder of the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust and founder member of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation was a surprise guest speaker at the 17th annual symposium of the Heritage Association of South Africa held at Heidelberg last week. Her task was to draw on experiences gathered over a lifetime of commitment and campaigning to provide a useful checklist for all heritage warriors.

1) Make your list - Top heritage sites

It starts with your own idea of just what you believe is important and want to save. Later some experts will suggest other items, but begin with the ones that mean a lot to you. It takes passion to save the heritage and especially passion to stay the course. Is one in any danger right now? If so, that tops your list.

AG Visser House makes the list (The Heritage Portal)

2) Document these sites and buildings

The facts you gather are the weapons you will need. When was it built, for whom and by whom, what important people or events are associated with it? What legal status does it have now? Is it a Provincial Heritage Site? (if it was a National Monument then it is now a Provincial Heritage Site). Is it more than 60 years old? (this means it is protected by Section 34 of the National Heritage Resources...

Most Joburg citizens have some direct experience of the scourge of illegal dumping. Across the city, vacant pieces of land, once beautiful parks and even heritage sites are used by dumpers. Catching the culprits is difficult, cleaning up the mess is expensive and the negative effects on health, the environment and heritage preservation are massive.

A few weeks ago I travelled past Oxford Park in Parktown and what I saw made my blood boil. The park contains two blue plaques which are installed on the remains of the entrance gates of the demolished mansion Onder Kopjes.  The park used to be a great place to bring locals and tourists for a short visit. The highway above with the forgotten ruins below provide the perfect setting for some great storytelling. Alas the dumpers have ruined this scene and brought multiple hazards to the local community. The act is made even more obscene considering that a church and a school are within walking distance.

The Plaques in the Park in 2012 (The Heritage Portal)

Onder Kopjes Plaque (The Heritage Portal)

[[{"fid":"4160","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Marienhof Plaque - Heritage Portal - 2012"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Marienhof...