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The History of NewtownNewtown on the MapLocated at the western sector of the Johannesburg Central Business District, the Newtown Cultural Precinct

stretches from the Kazerne marshalling yards and railway lines to the north, to Dolly Rathebe Street in the south,

Ntemi Piliso Street in the east and Quinn Street to the west.

The core cultural precinct containing the internationally famous Market Theatre, Museum Africa and numerous

dance and music venues straddles the historic Mary Fitzgerald Square.The precinct can be divided into the Market Precinct (located north of the square) which is dominated by the

1913 Market Building - home to the Market Theatre and Museum Africa. From the north-eastern to the north-

western quadrants of Newtown, Carr Street connects the Brickfields and Kazerne with the Milling Precinct,

home to the old Premier Milling complex on Quinn Street. To the south of the square is the historic Electric and

Workers Precinct containing the Workers Compound, Turbine Hall, the Electric Workshop, Sci Bono centre

and the South African Breweries Museum. Lastly, the Transport Precinct incorporates the South African

Reserve Bank, the Bus Factory, Transport House, the City of Johannesburgs Directorate of Arts, Culture and

Heritage (housed in what used to be offices of the citys transport department) and the M1 freeway.

The south and northbound M1 freeway overpass dissects Newtown and adjacent Fordsburg in the west, whilethe railway lines to the north mark the border between Newtown and Braamfontein. In the southern boundary

(along with Market Street) the Johannesburg Central Police Station visually forms the border between Newtown

and the historic Ferreiras Town in the south. Diagonal Street in the east has traditionally marked the border

between the Central Business District (CBD) and Newtown.

A 'new town'?The name Newtown was adopted by city administrators in 1904 following the clearance of Brickfields and

other multi-racial 'slums' in Johannesburgs first forced removal. Situated west of Diagonal Street and beyond

the borders of the original mining town, this racially diverse area incorporated parts of Brickfields, Aarons Yard

and the Indian (or Coolie) location.

In 1904 this new town was redesigned as a commercial and industrial area to maximise the nearby goods-

ards. In the plans for Newtown the strict grid pattern of the CBD has been adopted.

The destruction of Brickfields and subsequent development of Newtown was an attempt by the post-South

African War administration of Lord Milner to refashion Johannesburg along modern lines. This involved

formalising the townscape, developing infrastructure and strictly enforcing racial segregation.


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Map of Johannesburg dated 1897 in which the Brickfields can be identified. (Source: Museum Africa)

Newtown, Lord Milner and Lionel CurtisLord Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount (1854 - 1925) was a leading British statesman and colonial administrator who

played a significant role in the redevelopment of South Africa following the South African War (1898 - 1902).

While serving as High Commissioner, he became associated with a group of members of the South African Civil

Service known as Milners Kindergarten' - mostly personal and Oxford connections who occupied senior

positions in his administration. Milner retired as High Commissioner in 1905. From 1916 to 1918 he played a

prominent role in British politics.

Lionel Curtis (1872 - 1955) was a notable member of Milners Kindergarten. He was a strong proponent ofBritish Empire Federalism and in 1901 became Town Clerk of Johannesburg, where he initiated a number of

reform projects to modernise the administration of the City. Under his administration electrical tramways were

introduced to replace horse-drawn trams. Curtis also played a prominent role serving on the Johannesburg

Insanitary Area Improvement Scheme Commission and was a proponent of the clearance of Brickfields in

favour of the redevelopment and industrialisation of Newtown.

Newtown & the Cultural ArcThe Cultural Arc is a development proposal adopted since 2000 by the City of Johannesburg to integrate

culturally important institutions and sites located in Newtown and Braamfontein. The Arc stretches from the

Newtown Cultural Precinct via the Nelson Mandela Bridge to the University of the Witwatersrand, the SouthAfrican Ballet Theatre studios, the Joburg Theatre as well as the Constitution Hill precinct which in turn

incorporates the Womens Jail, the Old Fort, Number Four, the Governors house and the Constitutional Court.

Collectively the Arc incorporates four theatre complexes, various dance studios, live music venues, significant

museum and art collections, historic sites and monuments, as well as a year-round programme of cultural events.

Since 2006 a number of public artworks have also been installed in Newtown and Braamfontein.

Joburgs other cultural precinctsIt is only since the late 1970s that Newtown gained a reputation as Johannesburgs main venue for alternative

theatre and only since the turn of the millennium that it has come to be developed as an integrated cultural

precinct. Newtown, of course, had predecessors in the numerous districts scattered across Johannesburg thatwere once at the centre of the citys arts and entertainment.

Almost from its founding, Johannesburg developed a reputation for raucous nightlife and entertainment of an

often illicit nature sparking ZAR President Paul Kruger to refer to Johannesburg as a "den of iniquity". In the




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early days, such entertainment was concentrated around 'Frenchfontein' - home to the Citys many music halls

and brothels.

Before 1900, Johannesburg boasted four theatres: the Standard, the Globe, the Royalty and the Gaiety. Sadly,

none of these remain today. The Globe theatre, built in 1889, was the first permanent entertainment venue but

was destroyed in a fire after only six months of operation. A new theatre, the Empire Palace of Varieties (or The

Empire for short), replaced the Globe on the same site (corner of Fox and Ferreira streets in present-day

Marshalltown).

At the height of the Edwardian era, the Citys Randlords gained a reputation for being patrons of modernEuropean art movements which resulted in the founding of the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 1910 with its

extensive collection of European, colonial, classical African and contemporary South African art. The

Johannesburg Art Gallery is located in Joubert Park which remained a fashionable neighbourhood until the

1960s and today includes cultural institutions such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery and the Drill Hall.

As African migrants flocked to the gold fields, a distinct musical culture developed in the shantytowns and mine

compounds. By the 1920s Marabi was well established as a unique blend of African and European musical

styles and set the foundations for a musical tradition that would develop over the course of the next century -

culminating in the great jazz period of Sophiatown in the 1940s and 50s.

The 1920s and 30s saw the emergence of a growing black middle class which gathered around organisationssuch as the Gamma Sigma Club, the Joint Councils, the Bantu Mens Social Centre and the Institute of Race

Relations. The Bantu Mens Social Centre located at No. 1 Eloff Street promoted music, visual arts and

literature.

During the 1930s Commissioner Street was the main entertainment strip of Johannesburg with its theatres,

cinemas and other venues. This intersects with Eloff Street which, in its heyday, was Johannesburgs main

shopping strip.

By the 1950s Sophiatown had come to symbolise Joburgs jazz age and was closely associated with Drum

magazine and the literary renaissance of the 1950s as well as the photography of masters such as Jurgen

Schadenburg, Ernst Cole, Alf Khumalo and Peter Magubane. In the 1950s the Union of South African Artists

established Dorkay House in the CBD which by the 60s had become a notable cultural institution for music, art,

drama and dance. The Polly Street Art Centre was founded in 1949 at No 1 Polly Street in central

Johannesburg. For many years closely associated with artist Cecil Skotnes the centre was a major gathering

space for African artists. In the 1960s the centre was closed due to apartheid restrictions which banished black

cultural institutions to townships.

In the 1950s, 60s and 70s cosmopolitan Hillbrow with its eclectic community became the focus of night-time

Johannesburg, or a "white Sophiatown". The 1960s also saw the construction of the Civic Theatre (recently

renamed the Joburg Theatre) in Braamfontein - with the University of the Witwatersrand theatre and the

Alexander theatre (built in 1951) this consolidated Braamfontein as a theatre district.

At the height of apartheid during the 1960s, 70s and 80s many of South Africas most talented artists went intoexile, including Dumile Feni, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Todd Matshikiza, Can Themba, Nat Nakatsha,

Jonas Gwangwa and Eskia Mphahlele. Black artists who remained in the country were mostly restricted to the

townships, with the result that Soweto and Alexandra developed strong arts and cultural communities.

Sans Souci Bioscope in Kliptown, for example, became a venue for artists such as Miriam Makeba, Kippie

Moeketsie and Abdullah Ibrahim. Sadly, the building was gutted by fire in 1994. In the vicinity of the still-visible

Sans Souci ruins are the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, the Kliptown Open Air Museum and the house

once occupied by well-known artist Gerard Sekoto.

In many ways Newtown continues the legacy of these past eras - whether in the names of its streets honouring

legendary artists, its cultural collections reflecting Johannesburgs evolving material culture, or the plays fromprevious eras staged at the Market Theatre.

The Heritage Significance of NewtownNewtown offers a unique insight into the development of Johannesburg and modern South Africa as well as the




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key social, political, industrial, artistic and cultural trends that have come to be associated with Johannesburgs

evolution from a Victorian mining camp to one of the worlds major urban centres. Newtown also provides an

understanding of how wider industrial and political forces came to disrupt and destroy poorer communities from

racially mixed backgrounds sometimes carried out in the name of urban regeneration while essentially serving

colonial and apartheid racial policies. Equally significant, the suppression of labour rights became a recurrent

theme in the history of Newtown.

Early Johannesburg became home to many slums as people flocked to the city only to be met by an acute

housing shortage - a shortage that would last for more than a century and is still present in contemporaryJohannesburg. In Brickfields, early Johannesburg had one of its worst slums. Although these slums were racially

integrated, some communities in particular stand out: the poor white Afrikaners eking out a living from

brickmaking along the banks of the Fordsburg spruit, the Zulu amaWasha washing the citys laundry in nearby

Braamfonteinspruit and the Indian and Muslim communities from whose midst passive resistance leaders such as

Mahatma Gandhi would later emerge.

Following the end of the South Africa War and attempts by colonial administrators to modernise Johannesburg,

the racially-motivated destruction of the Coolie Location would result in the foundation of Newtown

envisaged as a well laid-out modern industrial extension of the Central Business District and home to the citys

main port as well as key industrial utilities including a power station, workers compounds, municipal freshproduce market, tram sheds and major milling centre. The presence of industrial and commercial functions,

however, would also mean that Newtown became a focal point for many of the industrial strikes witnessed by

the City during the first half of the 20th century. Labour activists such as Mary Fitzgerald as well as South

Africas major labour movements developed associations with Newtown that still resonate today. Yet this was

also the place where many of Johannesburgs leading industrialists and entrepreneurs honed their skills in the

fictitious University of Newtown - this is where the bulk of Johannesburgs fresh produce trading and related

food processing took place, as well as various other light industrial and manufacturing activities and trades.

During the Second World War, manufacturing in Newtown was even redeployed to support the war effort.

The decline of Newtown from the mid 20th century came about as a result of several factors, including the

waning significance of the Jeppe Street Power Station (decommissioned in 1960), the closure of the tram lines

(decommissioned from the late 1940s), the construction of the freeway system in the 1960s, the relocation of the

Market to the new Fresh Produce Market in City Deep in the early 1970s as well as apartheid racial legislation

and the forced removal of communities from the inner city, Fordsburg, Pageview, Vrededorp and elsewhere

which effectively deprived Newtown of a vibrant community. The decentralisation of commercial activity to

suburban malls and commercial areas like Randburg and Sandton also impacted on trade. Yet the decline also

spurred the artistic community to take an increasing interest in the landmark structures of Newtown. From the

mid=1970s over the following three decades Newtown as a focal point of cultural activism and artistic

production widened from a handful of institutions to the numerous cultural venues, events and institutions today

associated with the Newtown Cultural Precinct.Accounts of Newtown often leave out the eclectic mix of architectural styles, including Victorian, Edwardian,

Beaux Arts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, modern and international, post modern and contemporary architecture.

Although Newtown is today home to landmark spaces, buildings and structures, such as the original Park Halt

station, the Nelson Mandela Bridge, Turbine Hall, the Electric Workshop, the Market Building and Mary

Fitzgerald Square, many fine small-scale industrial and commercial buildings continue to grace Newtowns

surrounding streets often unnoticed by visitors and locals alike.

The industrial significance of Newtown can also not be underestimated and, while many original industrial

functions have moved elsewhere or been eclipsed by new technologies, Newtown continues to display some of

Johannesburgs most imposing industrial architecture.A Short History of NewtownOrigins'I come from the newly discovered goldfields at Kliprivier, especially from a farm owned by a certain Gert




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Oosthuizen... I have a long experience as an Australian gold digger, and I think it is a payable goldfield.' George

Harrison, 24 July 1886

'Our forbearers were a lot of roughnecks who knew nothing about culture and who came here to look for

gold.' Herman Charles Bosman

Today there is little indication of the indigenous grasslands (forming part of the highveld grassland biome) that

characterised the natural landscape more than 130 years ago. Early photographs from the time of the discovery

of gold show a largely unremarkable highveld landscape with the first signs of the diggings that would eventuallyconsolidate over the next 30 years into the worlds largest gold industry.

Of course the history of the area stretches back much further than the early and mid-19th century and the arrival

of the first European explorers, missionaries, traders and subsequent generations of settlers and diggers. While

no known traces of either Stone or Iron Age habitation have been found in and around Newtown, major

settlements from the Iron Age are known to have existed close to modern-day Johannesburg and the remaining

vestiges of some of these sites can be visited at Melville Koppies and Klipriviersberg. Similarly, much of what is

known today about Stone Age cultures comes from the rich storehouse of rock art collections held in many of

Johannesburgs key cultural institutions.

The discovery of gold in the 1880s and the subsequent building boom that followed drew hundreds of miners to be joined by traders, adventurers and a displaced rural peasantry seeking fortunes and employment.

As the town known as Johannesburg formalised into a cosmopolitan centre, workers both black and white

and almost exclusively male flooded in. Most settled in workers compounds run by the mines or in the

numerous boarding houses for white workers that mushroomed all over the mining town and in the two main

working-class suburbs; Jeppe to the east and Fordsburg to the west of the town.

As a result of the perpetual shortage of accommodation, slums soon developed around the Fordsburg area.

Brickfields'Let no one attempt a midnight exploration of the Brickfields without a lantern which is guaranteed to throw a

light for yards distant, otherwise the chances are that he will not leave that district alive...' The Star, 10 February

1890

'I went over to Doornfontein Monday, wandered about in solitude almost. The houses are all right and gardens

kept in good order. I went down as far as the reservoirs, top one empty, lower one full. The Brickfields are a

sight. Quantities of bricks set out to dry, some burnt, all work stopped.' T.R. Adlam during the South African

War (1899 - 1902)

'...Narrow courtyards, containing dilapidated and dirty tin huts without adequate means of lighting and

ventilation, huddled on an area and constructed without any regard to sanitary considerations of any kind. In the

middle of each slop-sodden and filth-bestrewn yard, there is a well from which people get their water supply

and they choose this place for washing purposes and urinals. These places are dark dens.' City of Johannesburg

report on the Brickfields ghetto (1903)

Brickfields was home to a large Afrikaans-speaking community, mostly from poor, rural and uneducated

backgrounds and hence considered unemployable by the mining companies. In 1887 the community lobbied

the ZAR government of President Kruger for the right to manufacture bricks on government land bordering the

Braamfontein spruit.

Due to the high demand for bricks at the time, brickmaking became a major industry for the Citys poor

Afrikaners. As Brickfields and the adjoining areas of Fordsburg, Vrededorp and the Indian location grew, these

mixed slums became known as Poverty Point.

Between 1892 and 98, at which point Brickfields was already home to an estimated 7 000 people, it became

necessary for the City to expand its railway capacity. A major part of Brickfields was expropriated and theKazerne marshalling yards officially established by the Netherlands South African Railway Company (NZASM).

Between 1896 and 98 when the last brickmaking activity ceased in the area, a concerted effort was made by the

railway company and the Sanitary Board to get the government to cancel the brickmaking concessions and to




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relocate the brickmakers elsewhere.

The Great Dynamite Explosion'Half of Fordsburg is practically laid low, and the native locations are simply a heap of iron.' The Star, 19

February, 1896

On Wednesday 19 February 1896 an explosion ripped through Braamfontein and surrounding Burgersdorp,

Vrededorp and Fordsburg. The blast caused by a train accidentally ramming into trolleys packed with 55 tons o

dynamite could be heard in Klerksdorp 200 km away. The resultant crater was 61 m long, 15 m wide and 8 m

deep and claimed the lives of an estimated 130 people. 1 500 homes were destroyed.In the aftermath, most displaced residents moved into adjacent areas unaffected by the explosion.

Heyday'Newtown had become the home of many Litvak retail and wholesale merchants and grain brokers who came to

work and competed with one another, and here they formed a subculture with its own idiosyncrasies - jokes,

special events and, most importantly, the 'University of Newtown', which awarded a fictitious certificate to all

those entrepreneurs and millers who learnt the grain trade on the job.' Georgina Jaffee, 2001

Between 1910 and the 1940s, Newtown experienced a boom and rapidly became the citys main gateway for

goods and fresh produce through the Kazerne yards as well as a hub of commercial trade and industrial

activities. Following the destruction of the Indian location and the formation of the Union of South Africa in1910, Newtown in the 1910s and 20s became the first area in Johannesburg to be given industrial status. A

power station, electric workshops, tram workshops, hostels, a market, railway compounds and a major milling

site re-enforced the area as Johannesburgs main centre for not only power generation and tram workshops, but

also fresh produce trading and related food processing industries.

Decline'The state had developed a whole arsenal of laws to help it achieve the unimaginable: people of different races

living in separate, pre-planned ghettos. These laws ranged from the Slum Clearance Act to the much blunter

Group Areas Act. In my grandmothers case, her perfectly good even beautiful house was declared a slum

because it had been built before 1920 and was not constructed of brick and mortar.' Achmat Dangor,Apartheid and the Death of South African

CitiesIn the middle of the 20th century, a number of factors already mentioned played a significant role in the decline

of Newtown. From the early 1970s, various proposals were made for the redevelopment of Newtown. The

plan by architect Monty Sack to extend the CBD westward from Diagonal Street to the M1 freeway, occupying

the site of the Central Power Station, never materialised.

However Newtown continued its steady decline when the power station closed down and the cooling towers

imploded in 1985.

During the 1990s many key sites and buildings such as Turbine Hall were invaded by the homeless, while openareas next to the railway lines saw the rapid rise of informal settlements. Crime and grime became an increasing

problem.

The 'Coolie Location'Situated adjacent to the Brickfields, the Indian or Coolie location dates back to 1887, the year after

Johannesburg was founded. As the area technically fell outside of the official mining camp the location was

largely neglected by the authorities but provided easy access to town and, as a result, attracted a racially diverse

population of a mostly lower working-class background.

Over the next decade the adjacent areas of Fordsburg, Vrededorp, Burghersdorp and the Brickfields became in

effect co-joined multi-racial slums - sparking a series of health concerns for the authorities. This would lead to

the first attempt by the City authorities to enforce racial segregation when the City cordoned off Brickfields as

well as the Coolie Location, evacuated its residents and eventually raised it to the ground in a fire that lasted

three days and destroyed an estimated 1 600 structures and buildings, including a temple.

The destruction of the 'slums' was purportedly carried out in response to an outbreak of bubonic plague which




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had resulted in 82 deaths in the same year. This outbreak also led Mahatma Gandhi to establish an emergency

hospital on a vacant stand in the area where he treated 14 patients.

In 1904, after the clearance of the Indian Location, Joffe Marks, owner of Marks Limited, bought property in

the newly-declared Newtown.

Fordsburg'I grew up in the 1950s, in a suburb called Fordsburg, located on the western edge of the City. From my

grandmothers corrugated-iron and wood house, which dated back to Fordsburgs old mining days, I could

walk to school, to the market, to the cinemas, the sports fields, the dairy, the shops, to the mosque or anynumber of Christian churches if I so wished. There were even safe places in which to play truant from school.'

Achmat Dangor, Apartheid and the Death of South Africa Cities

Fordsburg was named after Lewis Peter Ford of the Jeppe and Ford Estate Company, which originally laid out

the suburb on the western side of Johannesburg. During the 1922 Rand Revolt, Fordsburg was at the centre of

the red revolution an attempt by white mine workers to overthrow the Smuts government. Under apartheid

the large Indian community was constantly at risk of forced removals. Fordsburg has, however, remained a

centre of Indian culture.

Newtown - Soweto

'It is an interesting historical fact that Gandhi was in Johannesburg at the foundation of such places as Soweto(Pimville) and Kliptown the story of the development of these communities is linked to the destruction of the

mixed Coolie Location in 1904.' Ochre Communications, Gandhi Heritage Trail

The history of Newtown is inextricably linked to the history of Soweto - arguably South Africas most famous

township. Purportedly in response to an outbreak of the bubonic plague, city authorities set the racially mixed

slums of the Coolie Location on fire in 1904. As a result, the displaced African, Indian and Cape Malay

communities were relocated to Klipspruit Farm 25 km to the south-west of the City. Pimville, as the settlement

became known, formed the nucleus around which Soweto would grow over the next 100 years.

Newtown and Soweto share another historical link in the form of the Jeppe Street Power Station and the

Orlando Power Station. By the late 1920s and 30s the Jeppe Street Power Station had become the Citys mainsource of electricity supply. By the 1940s it was already struggling to keep up with demand and by 1942 the

Orlando Power Station in Soweto came into operation to handle some of the additional burden.

'Chinatown'It is estimated that by 1904, almost 180 Chinese businesses were operating in this part of Johannesburg. Known

as 'Cantonese Quarter' or 'Chinatown', this historic area is located in Ferreirasdorp, south of Newtown. The

precinct is one of the oldest in Johannesburg and contains one of the Citys oldest buildings, the Chinese Club

Building (substantially altered in the 1940s). Adjacent to this is the United Chinese Club building designed by

German architect, Wilhelm Pabst, and completed in 1948. This is considered a landmark Johannesburg building

of great architectural significance. Although many businesses have relocated in recent years to the new

Chinatown in Cyrildene, some restaurants and shops remain in Ferreirasdorp and there are proposals to

redevelop the area.

Chinese indentured labourersFollowing the South African War, thousands of indentured Chinese labourers were brought to the Rand to work

on the mines. Many were subject to horrific abuse. The workers returned to China in 1909 and 1910 as a result

of political opposition and repeated protests by the citizens of Johannesburg against their presence. Wilhelm

Pabst (1905 1964)

Pabst was born in Germany and educated in Berlin where he worked with leading modernists including Mies van

der Rohe. Allegedly involved in anti-Hitler activities Pabst left Germany for South Africa in 1935 where heoined the firm Kallenbach, Kennedy & Furner based in Johannesburg. The United Chinese Club building in

Commissioner Street is one of his key projects and is considered an architectural landmark.

Ferreirasdorp (Ferreirastown)Ferreirasdorp (or Ferreirastown) was one of the first mining camps that sprung up at the time of the discovery of




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gold in the 1880s. It was named after Colonel Ignatius Philip Ferreira who set up a prospectors' camp prior to

the official proclamation of the Reef as mining land. The camp was named Ferreiras Camp.

Later, the area was home to a large coloured community and in 1898 a site was set aside for a church (St.

Albans Anglican Mission Church) to service the coloured Anglican community. The original wood and iron

structure was replaced by the present structure built in 1928 and designed by architect Frank Fleming. In 1958

the Anglican diocese was stationed here, under bishops Desmond Tutu and Duncan Buchanan. In the same year

as the church was built a girls hostel was established for the community. In the 1960s, under the Group Areas

Act, the coloured community was forcibly moved.

Colonel Ignatius Philip Ferreira (1840 1921)Speculator and early Johannesburg pioneer, Ferreira participated in the diamond and gold rushes of Kimberley,

the eastern Transvaal and finally the Witwatersrand where he formed the Ferreira Company syndicate and the

Ferreira Gold Mining Company. He established a prospectors camp in what is today Ferreirastown. One of the

abandoned mines of the Ferreira Gold Mining Company was discovered in the mid-1980s. The old stope can

still be seen at the Standard Bank corporate head offices in nearby Marshalltown.

Newtown Site Descriptions & Key Historical FiguresThe Market PrecinctAt the heart of the Market Precinct is the 1913 Market Building, which was once bustling with fruit and

vegetable traders. The sprawling building with its massive steel structure that was shipped from Britain and

constructed on site, is considered one of Johannesburgs finest examples of Edwardian industrial architecture. It

now houses two cultural institutions, the Market Theatre and Museum Africa.

The precinct came to life at the beginning of the 20th century when the new British government under Lord

Milner set out to transform Newtown from a slum into an industrial hub. In 1904, city officials used the outbreak

of the Bubonic Plague as a pretext to burn down the so-called Coolie Location and remove its diverse

residents into racially segregated areas. Within months, they transformed the area into an industrial zone that

offered a range of commercial opportunities.

The Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market relocated from the city centre to Newtown in 1913. In the early days,the Municipality provided free tram rides for the citys housewives from the old to the new market and a brass

band entertained them on arrival. These ladies would hold hankies to their noses to avoid the fetid smells from

the nearby abattoir and tannery.

"Life in early Newtown was busy and competitive. It was easy to start a business but difficult to stay afloat and

make a profit. Newtown became a little sub-culture with its own jokes and special events. Business people who

had worked and become successful in Newtown were awarded the fictitious 'University of Newtown' certificate

given to all the entrepreneurs who learnt the trade on the job." Sue Krige, historian, 2009

In 1974, this colourful and energetic place fell silent when the market relocated to larger premises in City Deep.

Newtown declined and the elegant Market Building was threatened with destruction. However, Newtownsposition so close to the city centre meant that the area was always considered commercially important.

Preservation enthusiasts and councillors who were passionate about the city also fought hard for its protection.

Several possibilities opened up for the redevelopment of the area. In the end, the idea of a cultural precinct

prevailed. Amidst the bulldozers and rubble, old buildings found new functions and the face of Newtown slowly

transformed. From 1976, the Market Precinct became an arts complex. Today, it continues to thrive as a space

where local talent is nurtured and showcased.

Mary Fitzgerald Square'On May Day, 1931, for the first time in the history of the Witwatersrand, there was a joint demonstration of

black and white workers on a large scale. According to Umsebenzi some 3 000 Bantu and 1 500 Europeansassembled at Newtown Market Square and "with cheers for the solidarity of black and white workers", moved

off in a procession.' Edward Roux, S. P. Bunting: A Political Biography, 1944

'Because of the intransigent attitude of the Transvaal Chamber of Mines towards the legitimate demands of the

workers for a minimum wage of 10 shillings per day and better conditions of work, this meeting of African




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miners resolves to embark upon a general strike of all Africans employed on the gold mines, as from August 12,

1946.' Resolution adopted by a crowd of more than 1 000 people, Newtown Market Square, 4 August 1946

This historic square was originally a wagon site. First known as Aarons Ground, then as Market Square, it was

renamed in 1939 after Mary Fitzgerald, the first female trade unionist in South Africa and the first female public

office holder in Johannesburg. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, political and labour meetings were

held here. Cultural performances and traditional stick-fighting also took place here and brought new culture

fusions to the city. The square is now the center of Newtons cultural district.

From the time that the first tram rolled onto the tramlines in 1902, Newtowns workers made their presence feltthrough strike action. In 1911, Johannesburg saw its first major strike by white tram workers. Mary Fitzgerald

spoke at a protest meeting while holding a pickhandle that had been dropped by mounted police to break up the

strike. This became her trademark, and she is still referred to as Pickhandle Mary. She famously led a group o

women to lay on the tram tracks and stop the trams.

White workers also gathered in Newtown during the miners strikes of 1913 and 1914, and during the

tumultuous 1922 strike. In 1931, the square was the site of one of the first large-scale multiracial

demonstrations.

In the 1940s, the square was the gathering site for striking black mineworkers, most notably the historic 1946

strike when J.B. Marks, President of the African Mineworkers Union, addressed a large crowd there.The tradition of protest continued throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s. In the 1980s, the square was used by the

powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) for protest meetings.

Mary FitzgeraldMary Fitzgerald was the first female trade unionist in South Africa. She stood in the Johannesburg Town Council

elections, and won a seat in 1915, becoming the first woman to hold public office in the city. She died at the age

of 75 in 1960 and was buried at the Brixton Cemetery.

She played an influential role in the 1911 and 1914 strikes. During the tram workers' strike of 1911, she spoke

at a protest meeting while holding a pickhandle that had been dropped by mounted police to break up the strike.

The pickhandle became her trademark, and she is today still referred to as Pickhandle Mary.Mary Fitzgerald organised the Industrial Womens League, was President of the South African branch of the

International Workers of the World and was also the first woman printer in the country having acquired Modern

Press which published the Voice of Labour.

The Newtown Market BuildingArguably one of Johannesburgs finest examples of Edwardian industrial architecture, this massive market

building was designed by the City Engineer, George Samuel Burt Andrews. At the time of its completion in 1913

it was described as the largest building of its kind in South Africa. The structure is supported by elegant steel

trusses that are clearly visible inside the main atrium of Museum Africa. The eastern and southern facades are

characterised by classical Edwardian detailing. In the 1960s, a western facade was demolished to allow for theconstruction of the M1 highway.

The Johannesburg Fresh Produce MarketThe Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market dates back to 1893. The original market was located at Market

Square in the centre of Johannesburg. In 1913 the market relocated to Newtown where trade took place by

auction. Produce on offer varied from meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy produce, tobacco and general

greengrocery. Crowds of more than 8 000 people attended the market on Saturday mornings.

At the time of the relocation of the market to City Deep (south of the CBD) in the 1970s turnover was estimated

to be R2,4 million per annum. Today the City Deep market services more than 17 000 buyers while a million

tons of fruit and vegetables pass through the market each year. It is the largest fresh produce market of its kindon the African continent and the fifth largest in the world.

(Source: City Deep plans to be market of the future, Business Day, Thursday 16 April 2009, page 2)

Johannesburgs First Market Square




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The focal point of early Johannesburg centred on the old Market Square which stretched from Rissik Street in

the east to Sauer Street in the west and was bordered by President and Market Streets. As businesses, shops

and banks appeared around the square, the site took on a more official air, particularly after the opening of a

market house in 1888 and later a series of prominent government buildings notably the Rissik Street Post Office

(1895 7). Official buildings would erode Market Square over time and eventually in 1913 the Citys fresh

produce and livestock markets relocated to a new Market Building in Newtown.

George Samuel Burt AndrewsGeorge Samuel Burt Andrews served as City Engineer of Johannesburg from 1904 until 1927. He was born in

Greenwich, England, and trained as a civil engineer in the local engineers department, Bournemouth. He came

to Johannesburg in 1889 at a time when the City was experiencing the end of one of its great building booms.

He worked as an architect and engineer and served as Town Engineer in1901 and 1902 and again from 1904

until his retirement in 1927. During this period Johannesburg doubled both in size and the height of its buildings.

Andrews was a founder member of several societies of architects in South Africa. His main projects include the

1910 Berea Fire Station as well as the Newtown Market Building opened in 1913. (Source:

www.artefacts.co.za)

Museum Africa

Through the initiative, the patience, and the persistence of the late Dr. J.G. Gubbins, there was formed in 1915the Africana Museum, which has as its object the telling of the whole story of South Africas history, pictorially

and by means of manuscripts, autograph letters, coins, medals, and relics. A.W. Wells, Southern Africa: Today

and Yesterday, 1956

Museum Africa, originally known as the Africana Museum, was established in 1935 around the vast private

collection of Dr. John Gaspard Gubbins. Today, it houses around 850 000 objects and includes significant

collections of paintings, manuscripts, African cultural artefacts, Cape silver, ceramics, furniture, photography,

costumes, explorer maps and other objects.

During its first 50 years, the museum was housed at the top of the Johannesburg Public Library in Beyers Naud

Square in downtown Johannesburg. Over time, several branches were opened including the Geological Museum(1927), the James Hall Museum of Transport (1963), the Bensusan Museum of Photography (1969), the

Museum of South African Rock Art (1969) and the Bernberg Museum of Costume (1973).

In 1974, the old Market Building in Newtown was earmarked for development as a cultural history museum but

it took nearly 20 years to realise this vision. Museum Africa eventually took over the old market buildings that

had stood unoccupied for many years and opened its doors in 1994. The move gave museum staff an

opportunity to reconsider the content and significance of the collections. For the first time, the museum provided

an inclusive history of South Africa, focusing on worker and black history. The museum also hosted part of the

1st and 2nd Johannesburg Biennales (in 1995 and 1997), which created a dialogue between the global arts

community and the previously isolated South African visual art world.Only a fraction of the museums collection is on display and there are now plans to extensively revisit these

collections and bring new perspectives to bear:

"Museum Africa is Johannesburg's centre for a southern African heritage experience. The latter is informed by

the fact that the museum's collection is representative of Southern Africa but it throws up endless questions and

areas of contestation about the notion of African experience(s)." Ali Hlongwane, curator, 2008

Museum Africa has been earmarked for upgrading by the City of Johannesburg in order to improve its ageing

exhibitions. At present only a fraction of its invaluable collection is on display, although certain collections can be

viewed by appointment.

Dr. John Gaspard Gubbins (1877 1935)Renowned Africana collector Dr. John Gaspard Gubbins was born in 1877 and died in 1935. His privatecollection which formed the nucleus around which the Africana Museum took shape included a fine collection of

Thomas Baines paintings as well as early Portuguese explorer maps of Africa and works by naturalist William

John Burchell.




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The Newtown Camera ObscuraHoused on the top floor of Museum Africa as part of the Bensusan Museum of Photography visitors can see

one of only five camera obscuras in the country. Similar to a periscope, the camera obscura provides a 360%

view of surrounding Newtown.

The Bensusan Museum of Photography grew from the collection of ex-Mayor of Johannesburg and amateur

photographer, Dr. Arthur Bensusan. The museum features one of the worlds most extensive collections of

photographic equipment, records and documents and includes a negative taken by the inventor of photography,

William Fox Talbot, dating back to 1835.

The Market TheatreKnown as South Africas Theatre of the Struggle, the Market Theatre was established by a troupe of

dedicated anti-apartheid actors led by Barney Simon and Mannie Manim. The groups unique vision led to the

conversion of the old Indian Fruit Market, with its soaring, cathedral-like dome, into three new theatres. The

founders often participated in the physical labour themselves. The doors opened in 1976, in the same week that

the Soweto Uprising began.

The Market Theatre staged controversial plays that tackled the inequities of apartheid. It was one of only a few

places where blacks and whites shared the stage and performed for non-racial audiences. Well-known

playwright Athol Fugard contended that The new South Africa was blueprinted on the stages of the MarketTheatre long before the politicians started talking about it.

In a 1984 interview, Barney Simon underlined the importance of the theatre:

"South Africa is an appalling place. I have friends who have been arrested. I have friends who have been blown

up. One is surrounded by these grotesque biographies. And yet South Africa is an exhilarating place because

everything happens in open confrontation. You know where you stand. We're not going to overthrow the

government through theatre, but people will understand each other more."

Despite financial struggles and a refusal to accept apartheid state funding, the theatre became internationally

renowned as the birthplace of some of the countrys best local productions. The Island, Sizwe Banzi is Dead,

Woza Albert, Asinamali, Bopha!, Born in the RSA, Master Harold and the Boys, Have you seen Zandile?, YouStrike the Women You Strike the Rock, Egoli, Hungry Earth and Sophiatown are among the best-known

examples to find a voice on the Market Theatres stages.

The Market Theatre remains at the forefront of South African theatre, with a focus on the production of new

local work. In 2005, the Market Theatre Foundation was declared a national cultural institution.

Johannesburgs First TheatresBefore 1900 Johannesburg boasted four theatres: the Standard, the Globe, the Royalty and the Gaiety. Sadly,

none of these remain today. The Globe theatre built in 1889 was the first permanent entertainment venue but

was destroyed in a fire after only six months of operations. A new theatre, known as the Empire Palace of

Varieties (or The Empire for short), replaced the Globe on the same site (corner of Fox and Ferreira Streets inpresent-day Marshalltown).

Barney SimonArtistic Director of the Market Theatre from 1976 to 1995, Barney Simon was born in 1932 in Johannesburg.

In the 1950s while working as a stagehand in Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in London he became first

inspired to create a theatre of struggle. In the 1960s he lived in the United States and was in contact with leading

experimental directors including Jerzy Grotowski and Joseph Chaikin. Workshop 71 inspired the founding of the

Market Theatre in 1976. On his death in 1995, John Kani became Executive Director of the Market Theatre.

Simons published works include the play Born in the R.S.A.

Mannie ManimCo-founder of the Market Theatre, Mannie Manim has been in theatre since 1955, having started his career as

an usher at the Brooke Theatre in Johannesburg. Since 1970, beginning with Boesman and Lena, he produced

and created the lighting for all the first South African productions of Athol Fugards plays. He has received the




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Vita Best Original Lighting Award ten times and in December 1990 was made Chevalier des Artes et des

Lettres by the French government. In 1996 he was awarded a gold medal for Theatre Development from the

South African Academy of Arts and Science. He is currently Director of the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape

Town.

Kippies International Jazz Bar'The Gauteng Provincial Government acknowledges the significant role that Kippies has played in putting

Gauteng on the map as an international jazz venue of note and its importance as a cultural heritage site.' Gauteng

Member of the Executive Council Barbara Creecy, 2005Since 1986, Kippies has been one of Johannesburgs most famous jazz venues. Musicians from all over the

country have aspired to play there:

"This place is the hub of jazz music in Johannesburg When you walk onto the stage at Kippies for your first

set as an aspiring musician, you know you have made it." Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, musician

Kippie Moeketsi, the legendary saxophone player, gave the place its name and was an inspiration for all who

took to the stage. Moeketsi, born in 1925, learned to play the clarinet at the age of 20 and soon moved onto the

saxophone. He was associated with numerous bands including Band in Blue, the Shantytown Sextet, the Harlem

Swingsters, the Jazz Epistles and the Jazz Dazzlers. He played with South Africa's leading musicians, including

Abdullah Ibrahim, Jonas Gwangwa, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. In 1961, he toured London as partof the cast of King Kong. While many of his fellow performers chose to remain in exile, Moeketsi returned to

South Africa.

Supporters of the Market Theatre Foundation proposed building a music club where local musicians could play

and hold workshops as part of the plan to develop Newtown into a cultural precinct in the early 1980s.

The building was constructed in the early 1980s as a pastiche of the original Edwardian public toilet block,

dating from 1913, which is two hundred metres north of the club today. Jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim gave the

building its name:

"Kippie gave us everything we know. We have just built on what he has taught us." Abdullah Ibrahim, musician,

1983

The club was closed in 2005 after severe structural problems were discovered. It was declared an interim

heritage site to protect it from demolition. In 2009, work on the restoration of the building commenced and a

statue of Kippie Moeketsi was unveiled.

Kippie MoeketsiKippie Moeketsi was born in 1925. He started playing the clarinet at 20 and soon moved on to the saxophone.

He was associated with numerous bands including Band in Blue, the Shantytown Sextet, the Harlem Swingsters,

the Jazz Epistles and the Jazz Dazzlers. During this time he played with South Africa's leading musicians including

Jonas Gwangwa, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. In 1961 he toured to London as part

of the cast of King Kong. In light of apartheid repressions following the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 many ofhis fellow cast members stayed behind in Europe in exile. Moeketsi returned to South Africa and for a while

refused to perform. He died in 1983.

A statue of Kippie Moeketsi was unveiled in Newtown in 2009.

Federated Union of Black Artists (FUBA)The premises currently occupied by the French Institute of South Africa were once the offices and gallery of the

Federated Union of Black Artists (FUBA). FUBA was founded in 1978 in Soweto by black artists, writers and

theatre workers. The FUBA gallery was opened in Newtown by South African painter David Koloane. During

the 1980s, FUBA amassed a significant collection of South African and international artworks donated by

international artists including work by Henry Moore, Sir Anthony Cairo and David Hockney. To the outrage of

the local art community this collection was sold to an international buyer in 1999 to settle outstanding debts.

The Railway Sidings and the Potato ShedsThe railway sidings directly behind Museum Africa date back to 1911 and were constructed by the South

African Railway Administration to provide access between the Newtown market and the railway yards to the




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north. Around the railway sidings, the fresh produce market, the Market Hall and the Indian Fruit Market

developed over time. Most produce was transported to the market by rail.

Originally designed in 1910 as open sheds, the so-called potato sheds played an integral part in the activities of

Newtown. The site incorporates various structures that were added over a 60-year period for keeping

vegetables and fodder as well as for slaughtering poultry. Bustling activity, dirt and the smell of livestock

characterised this area. By the early 1960s, some 2 000 tons of fresh produce was moving through the market

every day.

If you look towards the north of the sheds, you will see the extravagant roof of the old Edwardian public toiletblock. The original toilet was constructed in 1911 and was later used as the model for Kippies International Jazz

Club. Beautifully designed ablution facilities were common in Newtown. A brightly coloured structure serving as

public toilets was established on the square by the Johannesburg Development Agency in 2007.

The potato sheds and the old Edwardian toilet stood derelict for many decades until 1991, when the Afrika

Cultural Centre moved into the sheds and ran various art programmes for disadvantaged youth. In 2009, the

potato sheds became part of the billion rand The Potato Shed development as described by the project

managers:

"A prestigious new retail and hotel development will revitalise the historical Newtown precinct. The original

potato sheds will be sensitively adapted into a quality shopping centre that celebrates the cultural significance ofthe site and its buildings. A pedestrian walkway will offer lovers of Johannesburg a unique inner city experience."

The MajesticThis cluster of buildings dating from the 1920s, 30s and 40s is located directly opposite the Market Theatre and

has been earmarked for redevelopment by the City of Johannesburg. The building adjacent to the National Arts

Council with its distinctive brick facade was erected in 1933 for Lipschitz Bros. to be used as a new machine

store. Alterations in 1991 converted the warehouse into a gallery. The building was used as a gallery until 1996

when it was again converted for use by the Market Theatre Laboratory as a drama school and community

theatre. Next door, another Lipschitz Bros. building with its elegant cantilevered balcony was built in 1934 and

altered in 1941. Also for Lipschitz Bros., the building currently occupied by Afronova was erected as shops in

1922. The shops were occupied by the Cape Wine Bodegas Co. Ltd. in 1924 and subsequently used as a

restaurant, beer hall and later a flower shop. This building, together with other buildings on stand 143, was

renovated in 1986 to become what is now the Wolhuter Street Mall. Forming the core of this mall is a

warehouse which was submitted for approval on the site for owner B. Glazer in 1917.

Old Park Halt StationThis elegant if rather neglected Wilhelmine structure was designed by Dutch architect Jacob Klinkhamer

(1854 1928) in 1895 after being commissioned by the ZAR government. It was originally manufactured in

Rotterdam and re-erected at Park Halt (as Park Station was known at the time) between 1896 and 97. The

structure is an excellent example of late nineteenth-century building technology. In 1952, as part of the renewal

of Park Station, the steel canopy was dismantled and re-erected in Kempton Park as a training centre for

railway personnel. In 1995 the old structure was once again dismantled and re-erected in Newtown. It was

hoped that the structure would form part of a railway museum.

Between Johannesburg and Park HaltThe history of Park Station (officially Johannesburg Station since 1913) is intriguingly linked to the history of

Newtown. Originally called Park Halt this was in fact not the main station for the City as Johannesburg Station

was actually located in Braamfontein. In the late 1890s the ZAR government earmarked parts of the Brickfields,

situated between Johannesburg Station and Park Halt for the development of new marshalling yards. Kazerne,

as the yards became known, served for many years as the main goods gateway of Johannesburg a vital supply

link that would ensure a steady flow of goods, machinery and mining equipment. The Kazerne yards included

extensive railway lines, marshalling platforms, goods warehouses, sheds, workers compounds and a customs

and excise building remnants of which can still be seen in the area directly behind the Market Building.

Nelson Mandela Bridge




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"The [Nelson Mandela] Bridge signifies so much about where South Africa has come from and where it is

heading. It represents the high ground upon which our diverse cultures can converge and become one people. It

represents pride in the culmination of talents and skills that exist in rebuilding our country. It also represents hope

that South Africa will transcend its past and grow to be a formidable nation in its own right." Nelson Mandela

In 2003, two days after the 85th birthday of the man honoured by this now iconic structure, former South

African president Nelson Mandela opened the 284m cable-stayed bridge the longest of its kind in Southern

Africa. The bridge is an integral part in the cultural arc which links the Newtown Cultural Precinct with the

various cultural institutions in Braamfontein, clustered around the University of the Witwatersrand, the CivicTheatre and Constitution Hill.

Designed by Danish bridge architect Poul Ove Jensen, the bridge links Bertha Street in Braamfontein with Ntemi

Piliso Street in Newtown and straddles the Kazerne railway marshalling yards. The structure is held in place by

52 diagonal cable stays attached to concrete-filled pylons.

The Brickfields Housing DevelopmentCompleted at a cost of almost R100 million, the Brickfields project is the largest ever public-private housing

partnership in South Africa to date. It consists of 650 one to three-bedroom flats catering for a range of income

groups. The development was named after the original Brickfields which date back to the 1890s. Savage and

Dodd Architects created the design.The Milling PrecinctThe Milling Precinct evolved around a complex of buildings that were once owned and operated by the Premier

Milling Company. Since the middle of the decade many of these fine industrial structures have undergone major

refurbishment. Next to the Old Premier Milling Building is Prices Candles another historic Newtown tenant.

The Mills (Old Premier Milling complex)In 1904, after the clearance of the Coolie Location, Joffe Marks, owner of Marks Limited, bought property in

the newly-declared Newtown. In 1906, the first phase development of a maize mill commenced. Over the next

twenty years, Newtown would develop into the Citys foremost milling centre as the Premier Milling complex

expanded its offices, mills and warehouses, occupying the site where Gandhis emergency hospital had oncebeen.

In the surrounding streets an eclectic mix of Victorian, Edwardian, post-Edwardian and art deco warehouses are

still used for bulk storage, trading and light manufacturing. Since the mid-2000s, an urban renewal process has

resulted in many fine industrial buildings originally associated with the Premier Milling Company being

transformed into upmarket offices and apartments.

Premier Milling Company LtdFounded in 1914, Premier Milling Company developed into South Africas largest milling group and by 1973

controlled more than 11 maize mills and 40 bakeries, while employing 20 000 people. The Company was

founded through the amalgamation of Joffe Marks Marks Limited (which owned the first Newtown Mill) withPremier Roller Flour Mills which owned a mill in Fordsburg. In 1929 the company listed on the Johannesburg

Securities Exchange and by 1942 operated in all four provinces of the Union of South Africa. In 1963 the

company was bought out by Associated British Foods. In 1998 Premier Food Industries was acquired by

Genfoods forming the largest milling company in the country. Following this acquisition, Premier Milling was

voluntarily liquidated in 1999. The original mill in Newtown closed down in 1994 with most Premier Milling

properties in Newtown sold off in 2002 thereby ending a nearly century-long association between Premier

Milling and Newtown.

Joffe Marks

Merchant, miller, entrepreneur, industrialist and founder of Premier Milling Company Limited, Marks was bornin 1866 in Plungyan, a shtetl in Lithuania, Eastern Europe and came to South Africa in 1884. He started his

career as a trader in ostrich feathers but by 1887 had moved to Johannesburg where he established himself as a

merchant and trader in the old Market Square. He started his milling business in 1903 by importing wheat from




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Canada, USA and Australia in response to the growing demand from new bakeries on the Rand. In 1904 he

acquired property in the Coolie Location recently cleared by the authorities. In 1906 the first phase

development of a maize mill in newly-proclaimed Newtown commenced and opened in 1910. In 1912 Marks

merged his company with Premier Roller Flour Mills to form Premier Milling Company. In 1914 operations on

the second phase of the Newtown Mill commenced. During 1922 and the Rand Revolt the Fordsburg Mill was

damaged. Marks died in 1951.

Premier Milling Company and Walter SisuluIn 1934 a young Walter Sisulu joined Premier Biscuits a subsidiary of the Premier Milling Company. At the

beginning of 1936 Sisulu was fired from Premier Milling for initiating a strike to demand higher wages - an

increase of 2s 6d a week and an allocation of bread. He found a temporary job as an agent selling the

newspaper Bantu World.

Mahatma GandhiMohandas K. Gandhi, the father of Indias struggle for independence, lived in Johannesburg from 1903 to 1913

and was instrumental in resisting racial segregation against Asians in the Transvaal and later the Union of South

Africa. While living in South Arica, Gandhi developed his philosophy of passive resistance (Satyagraha) a

philosophy that would inspire later generations of political activists.

Gandhi left South Africa in 1914.

Prices Candles, 84 - 86 Carr StreetEdward Price and Co. (renamed Price's Patent Candles Ltd. In 1847) began manufacturing candles in 1830 and

was closely associated with Britains industrial revolution. During the mid-19th century the company devised a

process for cleaning palm oil with sulphuric acid. As the palm oil was mainly sourced from present-day Ghana,

Nigeria and Togo a region that at the time still suffered from the effects of slavery this trade was welcomed

by British abolitionists who saw it as an economic alternative to slavery. This association with Africa became the

basis for the company's seal which depicted Africans bringing calabashes of palm oil to a seated Britannia figure

under a palm tree. In 1910 Price's acquired its first overseas factories in Newtown, Johannesburg and by 1915

the company owned six factories in South Africa, Shanghai (China) and Chile.The building in Newtown was constructed in 1910 and extended to its present form in 1923. The company was

bought by Shell South Africa in 1984 and later taken over by Sasol Wax.

Old Railway Compound, Carr StreetNow derelict, the former dormitories for African railway workers constitute some of the oldest surviving

buildings in Newtown, dating from the 1890s. When the Coolie Location was torched in 1904, the Compound

was spared destruction because it lay just outside of the Indian shanty-camp. Everything on the other side of

Carr Street went up in flames.

Hamidia Mosque

This mosque dates back to the founding of the Hamidia Islamic Soociety which was established, with Ojer Ally

as President, in July 1906. The Hamidia Society was very active in the community and was a driving force

behind protests against government policies.

In response to the failure of the Transvaal government to repeal the Asiatic Act which placed severe restrictions

on the movement of Asians in the Transvaal, Gandhi and various Muslim leaders and their followers burnt more

than 1 200 registration certificates in front of the mosque in open defiance on 16 August 1908. This was the first

public burning of passes in South Africa. A week later, another 525 certificates were similarly burnt.

In front of the mosque a memorial designed by artist Usha Seejarim commemorates this pivotal event.

The elegant white minaret of the Hamidia Masjid mosque was built in 2002 and complements a smaller copper

dome which dates from the late 1950s. The extensions of the mosque were designed by Ahmed Saber BhamArchitects.

The Oriental PlazaThis iconic shopping complex situated along Bree Street in adjacent Fordsburg has its roots in the forced




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removals of Indian traders from nearby Pageview (also known as Fietas). It was designed by Rhodes-Harrison

Louw Hoffe & Partners and opened in 1975.

The Bag Factory (Fordsburg Artists Studios)The Fordsburg Artists Studios (The Bag Factory) opened in 1990 as a non-profit organisation promoting the

visual arts through a broad range of activities. Celebrated South African artist David Koloane is the Director.

The centre has hosted major contemporary local artists including Penny Siopis, William Kentridge and Deborah

Bell.

Electric PrecinctWorkers MuseumThe Newtown Compound is one of the last surviving examples of municipal compounds for black male workers.

The City Council built the compound in 1913 to house migrant workers who worked first for the Sanitary

Department and then at the nearby power station. The men who lived in this Compound were some of the many

thousands of migrant workers who were recruited through informal and formal channels from throughout

Southern Africa to work on the mines and in towns and factories.

They left their wives and children hundreds of miles away in the rural areas and each night they returned to their

dormitories where they slept side-by-side in double-storey concrete bunks with nine workers per level. There

was no privacy and the Compound Manager exercised total control over their lives.

On the north side of the compound, a row of houses was built for skilled white workers with tiny quarters in the

ards for black domestic workers. The sharp contrast between the living conditions for white and black workers

shows the racial segregation that characterised the lives of these two groups. The working class was divided on

colour lines, with black migrants subjected to slave-like conditions in compounds.

Today, the Compound and the houses stand as a poignant reminder of the migrant labour system. Elsewhere,

many of the old compounds are disappearing, and more and more hostels are being converted into family

accommodation. In 2009, around seventy government compounds and hostels were still operating in Gauteng.

Artist Proof Studio

Along Jeppe Street in the vicinity of the Workers Museum was the original studios of Artist Proof Studiofounded by artists Nhlanhla Xaba and Kim Berman in 1991. Xaba died tragically when a fire raged through the

studios in 2003. The works of more than 100 artists were lost in the fire. Since 2004 the studio has been

occupying new premises at the Bus Factory in President Street.

Nhlanhla Xaba (1960 2003)Nhlanhla Xaba studied at leading arts training institutions in South Africa including Rorkes Drift, Funda Art

Centre in Soweto and the University of South Africa. With Kim Berman, he co-founded Artist Proof Studio in

Newtown in 1991. He received the 1998 Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year Award. He died tragically in

a fire which also destroyed Artist Proof Studio in 2003. At the time of his death, he was working on an

exhibition of new works. He was 43.

Turbine Hall'The Turbine Hall and South Boiler House are superb industrial buildings distinguished by their massive scale,

fine proportions, inspiring interior space and delicacy of detail.' Herbert Prins

Turbine Hall was originally part of the Jeppe Street Power Station built in 1927. This was the largest and last of

the three steam-driven power stations in Newtown and consisted of the North Boiler House, Turbine Hall and

three concrete cooling towers. The new electricity provider consumed a trainload of coal a day. However,

within a few years, demand again outstripped supply and further extensions were required but still, outages

were a regular occurrence throughout the 1930s.

The Power Station lost its importance when a more modern station was built in Orlando, Soweto in 1942, but itwas only in 1961 that the plant finally shut down. The station was given new life four years later when two Rolls

Royce gas turbines were installed for use in emergencies and peak loading periods.

As neglect and indecision plagued Newtowns future in the 1970s, this fine example of early 20th-century




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industrial architecture was threatened. Over time, 300 squatters occupied the cathedral-like soaring space.

Several proposals were made for the building as part of inner city renewal efforts. Ultimately, AngloGold

Ashantis proposal to build its new headquarters there revived the fortunes of Turbine Hall. After protracted

consultations between architects and heritage practitioners, it was agreed that the North Boiler House could be

demolished to make way for the development. In 2005, the City relocated the squatters to stands in Orange

Farm and the spectacular transformation of the building began. It was completed in 2009:

"The AngloGold Ashanti building has successfully used heritage as a resource, letting the old building shine

through the new. The designers have been sensitive to the history and context of the building and haveincorporated this into the new identity of the building. It should serve as an inspiration to others and an example

of what is possible." Lael Bethlehem, CEO of the JDA, 2008

Newtown ParkThis green open space between the Workers Museum and Sci-Bono Centre was once home to four massive

concrete cooling towers. These were built in 1937 and for many decades formed a major landmark on the

Johannesburg skyline. In the face of much opposition from the public, conservationists and academics, the

towers were imploded in 1985. In addition to the four cooling towers, three circular concrete towers as well as

much older wooden cooling towers occupied the site immediately west of Turbine Hall.

Sci-Bono Discovery Centre (Electric Workshop)This building was initially the First President Street Power Station, commissioned in 1906 to power the new

electric tram system. It was the shortest-lived of the three power stations built in Newtown owing to an

explosion in the boiler house in March 1907.

The Second President Street Power Station was hurriedly opened on the site that is now the SAB World of

Beer. This building became the Electric Workshop, used to repair machines and electrical parts.

During Newtowns years of decline as an industrial centre in the mid-1970s, the building stood derelict. In the

1990s, this building was often used as a music and party venue particularly after the democratic elections of

1994. The space was also occasionally used for cultural events, most notably the 2nd Johannesburg Biennale in

1997.

In 2004, the Gauteng Department of Education and the private sector initiated plans for a major interactive

science centre. The new Sci-Bono Discovery Centre was one of the City's most ambitious urban regeneration

projects and was to become the largest science centre in Southern Africa. A new wing housing a conference and

education centre was added in 2009.

Sci-Bonos aim is to improve public engagement with science and technology and build South Africas science,

engineering and technological capacity. The name comes from an abbreviation of Science and Bono, the

TshiVenda word for vision, reflecting a mission to inspire insight into all aspects of modern science and

technology.

Sci-Bono plays an important role in training teachers, offering career education to scholars and youths and

supporting classroom learning in mathematics, science, technology and information and computer technology.

Sci-Bono is open seven days a week and is a fun-filled destination for schools, families, tourists and the general

public.

South African Breweries Museum (SAB World of Beer)Evidence suggests that a brewery once existed in the Brickfields area although the exact location is not known

today. The South African Breweries Museum (known as the SAB World of Beer) was built on the original site

of the Second President Street Power Station. The power station was built in 1907/8 to replace the first

President Street Power Station which was closed due to irreparable technical problems. A section of the original

facade of this building can still be seen along President Street.

SAB World of Beer was opened by former President Nelson Mandela on 15 May 1995 as the South AfricanBreweries (now SABMiller) celebrated its centenary year.

Old ZAR Native Pass OfficeA blue heritage plaque commemorates the site of the old ZAR Native Pass Office. After the South African War,




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the Pass Office as well as the ZAR-era pass laws it was meant to enforce were retained by the British who

needed black mine workers to restart mining operations. Ironically, this came after many black citizens

welcomed the British to Johannesburg as liberators by burning their passes. During the 1950s a new pass office

was built in Polly Street (mostly for black women), while a mens pass office was built in Albert Street. The

present building belongs to the Department of Home Affairs.

Diagonal StreetA visible reminder of the original Randjeslaagte triangle, Diagonal Street constitutes the western border of the

original mining town, and has historically marked the border between the CBD and the New town. As theportion of land west of Diagonal Street fell outside of the official town, it allowed the Citys coloured, Chinese

and Indian population to settle and the area became racially mixed. Despite apartheid-era attempts to enforce

racial segregation the area still retains much of its cosmopolitan feel. Although many buildings are run down

Diagonal Street offers the visitor an eclectic mix of single- and double-storey Victorian and Edwardian structures

in stark contrast to modern-day glass and concrete skyscrapers. Along Diagonal Street various muti shops can

be visited. These African traditional herbalists shops offer homeopathic and traditional medicines.

JSE Building (17 Diagonal Street)Between 1978 and 2000, 17 Diagonal Street was the home of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The

first Stock Exchange was built in 1887 south of Market Square. By 1890 a new building was added to theexisting structure. In 1903 the JSE moved to Hollard Street, the original building in turn replaced by a new

building in 1960. In 1978 the JSE moved to this site along Diagonal Street.

'Diamond Building' (11 Diagonal Street)Designed by American architect Helmut Jahn from the firm Murphy Jahn, Chicago (1984), number 11 Diagonal

Street (or the Diamond Building) was built for Anglo American and has since been regarded as one of

Johannesburgs major landmarks. In 2007 the building was sold to ABSA for R104 million.

'Chinatown'By 1904, there were almost 180 Chinese businesses operating in this part of Johannesburg. Known as

Cantonese Quarter or Chinatown, this historic precinct still has some functioning restaurants and shops andthere are proposals to redevelop the area.

FerreirasdorpFerreirasdorp was one of the first mining camps that sprung up at the time of the discovery of gold in the 1880s.

It was named after Colonel Ignatius Philip Ferreira who set up a prospectors camp here prior to the official

proclamation of the Reef as mining land.

Transport PrecinctThe Transport Precinct became the centre of the administration, maintenance and storage of trams and buses

during the rapid growth of Johannesburgs transport sector in the first half of the 20th century. Today, like the

rest of Newtown, this precinct has been transformed into a dynamic cultural district.The area began to burgeon between 1906 and 1907, when sheds for the housing and servicing of the first

electric trams were built. The three power stations were built here to meet the electricity needs of a modern

transport system and the rapidly growing city. The M1 freeway constructed between the 1960s and 80s can be

seen above the bustle of Newtown.

This precinct covers numerous elements in the history of transportation in Johannesburg, from early 20th-century

trams to the mini-bus taxis that still transport thousands of people today.

In 1990, Newtown was officially promoted as a cultural precinct as part of the initiative to revive the inner city.

This area is now a hub of cultural institutions including the City of Johannesburgs Department of Arts, Culture

and Heritage and the Market Photo Workshop. Pioneering dance companies, Moving into Dance, Mophatongand the Dance Factory, and jazz institution, Bassline, are located here within the old servicing workshops. The

Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) along with a range of non-governmental organisations, has its

headquarters in the Bus Factory. The South African Reserve Bank stands on the site of the original Tram Sheds.




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South African Reserve Bank (Tram Sheds)Built on the site of the original tram sheds (1906 1907), the South African Reserve Bank was designed by

Floris Smith & Meyer Pienaar Architects and Urban Designers and completed in 1996.

The building has been included in the International Union of Architects' publication of landmark contributions to

20th century world architecture.

The Trams of Johannesburg"Johannesburgs engagement with modernity had begun with the percussion sounds of the stamp

batteries, the hum of electric dynamos, street lighting and illumination, lifts and double-decker electric

trams radiating out to the distant suburbs in a system centred on the City Hall, with turning circles on

arket Square immediately to the West. All the tram routes terminated in Town, setting a radial urban

consciousness that persisted for decades. Even contemporary mini-bus taxi routes obey this mind-set."

Clive Chipkin, architect

Horse-drawn trams were in operation since 1891 when six kilometres of tramway track opened in

Johannesburg with a terminus located in Fordsburg. As the ZAR government favoured a horse-drawn system

which provided a secure income for Boer transport drivers, the introduction of an electric tram system was

delayed until after the South African War. The decision, taken in 1902, to introduce an electric tram system

became the main impetus for building the 1906 President Street Power Station.During much of the 1930s and 40s the tram fleet of Johannesburg was managed from the Johannesburg

Municipal Transport premises in Newtown. It is from here that the transport authorities modernised the fleet in

time for the 1936 Empire Exhibition. During the Second World War the workshops also played an important

role in the production of war material.

Increasingly seen as unsafe and incompatible with the Citys growing automobile population, from 1954

onwards trams were replaced with trolley busses. The last trams continued to run until March 1961.

Switching off Joburg: Mary Fitzgerald, the 1911 Tram Workers Strike and 1913

White Mine Workers Strike

Tram workers led by Mary Fitzgerald embarked on strike action in 1911 in protest against the outcome of apublic enquiry into their grievances. While the municipality tried to keep the tram system running, Mary and a

group of women lay down on the tracks forcing a temporary end to tram operations.

During the violent 1913 white mine workers strike Mary Fitzgerald again stopped the trams from running as she

and a group of strikers pulled tram drivers from their trams. The crowd, led by Mary, took control of the

Second President Street Power Station and for a short while cast Johannesburg into darkness before officials

regained control of the building.

City of Johannesburg Arts, Culture and Heritage Services Directorate & Market

Photo Workshop

This building dates from 1934 and was originally used by the Citys Traffic and Licensing Department. Morerecently it has become home to the City of Johannesburgs Arts, Culture and Heritage Services Directorate. The

building also houses the Market Photo Workshop which has played a pivotal role in training South Africa's

photographers and visual poets and ensuring that visual literacy reaches the neglected and marginalised parts of

society.

Market Photo WorkshopSince its inception in 1989 by world-renowned photographer, David Goldblatt, the Market Photo Workshop

has established itself as an important training institution for South African photographers who otherwise would

have no access to photography. World Press Winners and internationally acclaimed photographers originate

from this institution including Themba Hadebe, Jodi Bieber, Nontsikelelo Veleko and Zanele Muholi. The Photo

Workshop has played a critical role in ensuring that black photographers enter the work place and about 70%

of photographers employed at daily newspapers were students there.

The Bus Factory




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This vast industrial structure was built to house tram repair sheds in the first half of the 20th century. It became

the garage for double-decker diesel buses when they replaced trams and electric buses in the 1970s. It operated

until the early 1990s. The Bus Factory, as it became known in 2001, is now a key part of the Newtown cultural

district.

The first electric buses were introduced to Johannesburg in 1931. When the apartheid government passed the

Separate Amenities Act in 1953, buses became racially segregated. Those that carried black people did not

stop within the CBD as the government wanted to maintain this as a whites-only area. The terminal points for

black passengers were located in Newtown, on the outskirts of town.In 2001, the building was extensively renovated with funding from the City of Joburg, Blue IQ and the Gauteng

Provincial Government. It is now home to the offices of the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), which

facilitates inner city development and renewal projects:

"The Bus Factory is a perfect setting for our work. Urban regeneration is ultimately about creativity and this is a

creative space. We can feel the history of Newtown all around us and we use this as an inspiration. We are also

committed to creating space for artists and cultural workers. The revitalization of the inner city cannot take place

without a vibrant contemporary culture." Lael Bethlehem, CEO of the Johannesburg Development Agency,

2010

The Bus Factory also houses a number of cultural non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The most prominentof these is the Artist Proof Studio, which facilitates printmaking and assists disadvantaged learners to achieve

economic independence.

Transport House

The now dilapidated Transport House was unveiled in 1938 by the Mayor of Johannesburg and was used by

the Citys transportation department. The facade of the building is art deco in style and still displays the letters

JMT (for Johannesburg Municipal Transport).

Barend Jacobus Erasmus (1918 1976)Originally from Zeerust, Barend came to Johannesburg during the Great Depression to seek employment. In

June 1936 he found employment with the Johannesburg Municipal Transport Service scrubbing trams andbuses. He was elevated to the position of conductor and later became involved in the Johannesburg Municipal

Transport Workers Union (JMTWU). Erasmus was greatly influenced by the President of the JMTWU, Jan

Venter and on Venters death in 1953 he took over as President. Erasmus won longer sick leave privileges for

workers at Arbitration Court and in 1956 negotiated a 40 percent consolidation of cost of living allowance for

all municipal employees. In 1967 he was part of the delegation which lobbied the Minister of Labour, Marais

Viljoen, to recognise black trade unions. (Source: www.sahistory.org.za/pages/people/bios/erasmus-bj.htm)

M1 freewayIn 1897, the first car was introduced to Johannesburg. It was purchased for advertising purposes by a coffee

firm and was put on display at the Wanderers Club. The vehicle was promptly banned from the streets by theSanitary Board. Soon thereafter, the Board was obliged to draft regulations for motor carriages. By 1902, a

number of cars were driving in the streets of Johannesburg and the first car dealers opened their premises in

town.

The ownership of private cars proliferated and by 1954, over a 100 000 vehicles were registered. In the early

1960s, the City of Johannesburg decided to invest in a motorway system to ease traffic congestion.

The M1 motorway running through Braamfontein and Newtown was one of the first sections of the citys new

motorway system to be built and required that the western facade of Museum Africa was demolished. It was

named the De Villiers Graaff motorway after the leader of the United Party who led the opposition during three

terms of apartheid government. New sections of the motorway were commissioned over time.

'The motorways, conspicuously however, did not connect into the vast black ghetto locations. In part they acted

as a visual and movement barrier to reinforce segregation.' Clive Chipkin, architect

Today, the M1 motorway between Johannesburg and Pretoria is the busiest in the southern hemisphere. In

2010, over 300 000 commuters used this section each weekday. It is now a major arterial route which connects




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the southern areas of Johannesburg includin

newtown heritage trail

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