Arts, Culture & Heritage
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Blue Plaque Sites

Remains of Early Houses

Table of Contents

Address

Fashion Square, 130 Pritchard Street, Fashion District, Johannesburg
2009

Inscription

This building dating back to the 1890s, and the adjacent structures on the west side, began as houses of the kind lived in by diggers and traders in the early mining days. The two houses, built of clay bricks, had pitched roofs of corrugated iron. Both structures had verandahs facing onto Pritchard Street, offering opportunities for house-dwellers to observe and interact with passers-by. The structures provide a memory of the social history of early Johannesburg and architecture typical of the time.

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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