Arts, Culture & Heritage
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Blue Plaque Sites

Johannesburg City Library

Contents

Site Photos
Unveiled to mark the 90th anniversary of the Johannesburg City Library.

Address

Foyer of the central library, Albertina Sisulu Road and Pixley Seme Street. Entrance from Beyers Naude Square.
Installed: 2025

Inscription

JOHANNESBURG CITY LIBRARY A foremost civic building launched on the 6th August 1935, the Johannesburg City Library is a beacon of knowledge. With vast collections including special reference collections of outstanding value, and underground stacks holding about 40 km of shelving, JCL preserves the rich heritage of Johannesburg. In 1974, this became the first public library in apartheid South Africa to open its doors to all communities. The legend “LIBRI THESAURUS ANIMI (“Books are the Treasure House of the Mind”) is carved above the arches.

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.

Browse Heritage Sites