If you’ve ever had a bad experience in school and were forced to eat your lunch in the bathroom – like a scene straight out of the hit movie Mean Girls – you would have no problem dining at the Gentlemen’s Arthouse, a bathroom-turned-eatery.
The Gentlemen’s Arthouse was opened as a cocktail bar and eatery in March, but was originally established as a public bathroom, built for use by the train drivers at the turn of the 20th century.
“Yes, you are sitting in urinals – the original urinals. We have only taken them out and refurbished them to look exactly as they were back in 1911,” Bryon Clark, manager of Life Grand Café at Mall of the South, said as he explained the history behind the interesting venue.
“The train drivers would stop off at the train station near [what was at the time] the Sheds market, behind the Market Theatre. The workers would get off the train and come here to refresh themselves.”
According to Clark, there were also showers at each side of the room and visitors, to what is now the Edwardian-styled eatery, can even see remnants of what used to be long drops, which were created for use by non-whites during the apartheid regime.
“From the 30s, the room was divided [to create a second section] for use by the non-westerners. When they joined the train company, which was Spoornet at the time, they had to use long drops.”
The building, before being overhauled and redone, was declared a heritage site, and would no doubt become the perfect place for business people and foodies to drink and dine.
“This building is 80 percent original. The tiles on the wall, the floor and the roof structure were not allowed to be touched.”
The venue, with its Edwardian-style decor, complemented by urinal seats and long drops creeping out from under tables and chairs, takes visitors back to the days long before they were born and allows for a beautiful escape from regular dining.
Like City Buzz on Facebook by clicking here for the best entertainment and lifestyle news or add us on twitter @CityBuzzJHB
