Arts, Culture & Heritage
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Blue Plaque Sites

Fairview Fire Station

Table of Contents

Address

Commissioner Street, Fairview
Installed: 1970

Inscription

JohannesburgÕs first permanent fire station was completed on this site in 1906. The thirty-five meter high tower was used as a lookout for spotting fires before the advent of telecommunications and also for drying out fire hoses which hung in the tower. When the station was re-built in the early 1980s, only the watchtower was kept. It is JohannesburgÕs only remaining fire tower and the highest of a group of towers in the area.

Photo courtesy: Kabelo Mokoena (Sunday Times)

Explore Joburg

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.

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