The Julius Jeppe Monument is an obelisk constructed of red granite and sandstone, on the north side of the Jeppe Oval.
The memorial honours Transvaal and Johannesburg pioneer Julius Jeppe the Elder (Julius Gottlieb Ernst Christian, born in Germany 1821, died on the Reef in 1893). Erected as Johannesburg’s first public memorial in 1892, the obelisk was placed in the Jeppestown Oval, an early public park.In the Town Engineer’s Report for 1895, it is stated that a monument had been erected “to the memory of the late Mr. Julius Jeppe ... founder of Jeppes Town”.
Julius Jeppe Senior built the first brick house in Johannesburg in 1886, and was the manager of Jeppe’s Township (The Diggers’ News of 4 April 1889). He formed the Jeppe and Ford Estate Company together with L.P. Ford. His sons, Carl and (the later Sir) Julius Jeppe were also partners. This company laid out Johannesburg’s first suburbs, Jeppestown and Fordsburg.
Protected under Section 37 of the National Heritage Resources Act (Public Monuments and Memorials). “Public monuments and memorials must, without the need to publish a notice to this effect, be protected in the same manner as places which are entered in a heritage register …”
A culmination of research gathered over many years, the Online Johannesburg Heritage Register is being launched on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July 2025.
Among the many heritage sites featured is Chancellor House, the downtown offices of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys in the 1950s. After having been vacant and shuttered for more than a decade, this iconic building is being revived and brought to life once again as offices for the Community Development Department, which oversees the City’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Services.
