JHF gears up for Christmas with an epic book sale and lecture
PARKTOWN – Ahead of the Christmas hysteria, the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation will be hosting a book sale at Northwards in Parktown.
With the Christmas season already in full swing, the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation has spared no expense in gearing up to host a giant festive book sale to mark the occasion.
A wide selection of books will be on sale at Northwards Mansions, 21 Rockridge Road in Parktown on 2 December at 11am, including non-fiction and collectables, travel, South African interest, history, biography, art and antiques, war histories and literature.
The foundation will also be displaying artist, James Delaney’s limited print edition, Johannesburg Stories 1897/2017, which is on sale, in aid of restoration of The Wilds.
Architect Brian Kent McKechnie and heritage enthusiast, Brett McDougall will be exploring the making and shaping of the city through the lens of 13 iconic buildings and 13 influential personalities, covering its evolution from an Uitlander imposition in the heart of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek, to a respectable outpost of the British Empire; from a city infatuated with American popular culture, to one that increasingly looks to Dubai and Shanghai for inspiration.
“In a remarkably short 13 decades, Johannesburg has developed from a ramshackle mining camp into a bustling metropolis,” said McDougall, who is also the chairman of the foundation. “Its rich and complex social history, unrivalled in sub-Saharan Africa, is reflected in an eclectic and diverse streetscape, and a cosmopolitan citizenry.”
The public is invited to attend and immerse themselves in an afternoon medley while enjoying a sherry and a mince pie ahead of the afternoon talk, which begins at 2pm.
Guests can also hear about the New York-born industrialist, Isidore Schlesinger, who made Killarney into Joburg’s Hollywood and transformed Commissioner Street with a series of art deco movie palaces; James Mpanza, who forced the City to confront the scourge of homelessness during the 40s and the theatre impresario Barney Simon, who, in the 70s, had the vision to transform the industrial wasteland of Newtown into the cultural heart of Johannesburg.
“Be amazed at the art deco skyscrapers that dwarfed the Edwardian city, marvel at the construction of the iconic Standard Bank Centre and see where the city’s architecture now finds its inspiration.”
Details: Tickets for the talk are priced at R90 for members and R130 for non-members. Booking for the talk is essential and can be done by sending an email to mail@joburgheritage.co.za
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