Houghton Heights

Table of Contents

About Houghton Heights

Plaque initiated by the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation

Address

56 2nd Avenue, Houghton
4 November 2017

Inscription

HOUGHTON HEIGHTS Houghton Heights is one of a number of imposing and glamorous art deco apartment blocks to have been built on the orange Grove escarpment. Designed in 1938 by John Shaw, it is a relic of a more elegant age: alternating bands of red and orange brick emphasise its sleekness, generous bay windows soak in the northern light, and the vestibule is richly decorated with marble, glass and a clock above the lift door.

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.