Bet you didn’t know: The Carlton Centre

The Carlton Centre was once a playground for the rich and famous and is now a shopping hub in the heart of Johannesburg.

The centre, according to the City of Joburg, was opened in 1972 after five years of construction and was the tallest building in Africa, standing at 223m tall with 50 floors.

Yes, you may know all of this already, but we’re sure that we have five facts about the Carlton Centre that you do not know.

• During the time that the centre was a hotel, which was later converted to office space when Transnet bought it in 1999, it hosted a number of legendary international personalities including Henry Kissinger, Francois Mitterand, Hilary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Whitney Houston and Mick Jagger.
• Did you know that 46 percent of the floor area is underground? This means that all the retail stores were opened on the larger underground floors to allow for ample floor space for the Carlton Centre’s visitors.
• According to the Gauteng Tourism Agency, the centre would have made the list of the world’s top 100 skyscrapers if it was just 40m taller.
• While you may not have been around to experience the hotel in all of its glory, you can still marvel at its scenic views from the 50th floor.

The centre is a heritage site, tourist attraction and is one of the stops of the Red Bus City Sightseeing Tour.

Don’t miss out on viewing this piece of history that is the Carlton Centre located at 150 Commissioner Street in Johannesburg.

Details: gauteng.net; www.joburg.org.za