Arts, Culture & Heritage
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Blue Plaque Sites

Hillbrow House

Table of Contents

Address

49 van der Merwe Street, cnr Banket Street, Berea
25 April 2025

Inscription

HILLBROW HOUSE Built in 1905 for J H Houghton, this is a rare surviving example of the homes of early Hillbrow. The architectÕs simple, rather delicate drawings show the original timber verandah, finials on the main gable as well as the louvered ventilation gablet. The floor plan has a drawing room, larger diningroom, two bedrooms and a workshop and washhouse in the basement. The architect, David Ross, had come from New Zealand at the advanced age of 77 and died in Johannesburg aged 80.

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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