JOHANNESBURG – Paris has the Eiffel Tower. Rio de Janeiro has the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Joburg has the Hillbrow Tower as the most recognisable feature of the City skyline.
This, most familiar symbol of a vibrant, bustling – and, sometimes turbulent – Jozi will be the centrepiece of the City’s comprehensive initiative to revitalise and transform the Hillbrow Tower precinct and enable it to claim its rightful place at the core of and exciting and alive urban scene.
Through the decades Hillbrow has been known as the cosmopolitan heart of this mining town which grew into Africa’s foremost financial and trade centre. Established as one of the first suburbs of the newly declared Johannesburg in the late 1880s, the city literally expanded outwards from this core area.
In the 1970s and 80s “the Brow” developed into the most cosmopolitan area of the Joburg inner city. In an era that was defined by racial separation and segregated neighbourhoods, Hillbrow was a defiant exception. The one small piece of earth that attracted and welcomed both black and white. A few square blocks of sanity and refuge in a larger mosaic of apartheid-inspired social engineering.
It became a magnet for the eccentric and bohemian personalities, the musicians, the street artists, the late-night revellers and the early-morning “jollers.” Its legendary bookshops and street cafes attracted the intellectuals and the struggle philosophers and its record shops were often the only places in the entire South Africa where you could browse to discover the latest offerings from both local and international artists.
But when the sun went down behind the high-rise buildings of the CBD, Hillbrow kicked into yet another gear. Late night discos and nightclubs blared their cacophony of sounds deep into the early mornings while the more sedate and discerning music lover could visit a secluded bistro or basement café.
This was Hillbrow, the pulsating heart of the “city that never sleeps.”
About 45 years ago the Hillbrow Tower was constructed as a communications tower to beam out the microwave signals for what is now known as Telkom.
When the democratic transition came to South Africa in the early Nineties Hillbrow became a powerful symbol of a new, integrated society and the Hillbrow Tower started to occupy its rightful place as the visual image of this transformation – incorporated into the logo of a democratic Johannesburg.
Sadly, through the years, the Hillbrow precinct has lost most of its former glory. It fell victim to the type of urban decay and grime that is all too often associated with areas next to the central business districts of many global cities. It developed a reputation as a dark and dangerous place plagued by social ills related to over-crowding, crime, drug dealing and prostitution.
But this is about to change.
As part of an exciting urban renewal project the City has embarked on a comprehensive initiative to give Hillbrow a much-needed makeover. And the precinct in the immediate vicinity of the Tower that juts into the sky will be the first to be turned into a pedestrian-friendly, safe and walkable urban environment.
The revitalised Hillbrow will be a core part of a modern new network of transport and communications connectivity that enables both residents and visitors to access it as a hub from where they can explore the rest of the city. The first stage of the project – scheduled for completion in mid-2015 — will create economic development opportunities for local artists, tourism and leisure operators and businesses through the provision of trading spaces in the immediate vicinity of the Tower.
Gradually, but inexorably, the rejuvenated of Hillbrow will spread out into all the streets and alleys through the upgrading of the pavements and the construction of new sidewalks, landscaping, street furniture, storm water drainage systems and public lighting.
Soon, Hillbrow, and its striking Tower, will be able to stake their rightful – and much deserved – places among the iconic landmarks of a revitalised and invigorated Joburg.
8 things you should know about Hillbrow:
• The first development came to the area in 1889, a mere three years after the formal proclamation of Johannesburg.
• It was first known as Hospital Hill but, due to its located on a geographical high rise, gradually became known as Hillbrow;
• The 2011 census stated the official population figures of Hillbrow as 74 131 – with 98.3% designated as “black African.”
• The boundaries of the Hillbrow precincts are defined by Clarendon and Willie Streets in the north; Joe Slovo Drive in the east; Smit Street in the south and Hospital Street in the west.
• The Hillbrow Tower was completed in 1971 and was officially named the J G Strijdom Tower to honour one of the most notorious Prime Ministers of apartheid South Africa; Its official name, today, is the “Telkom Jo’burg Tower” – but, who cares, we all know it as the Hillbrow Tower;
• From the bottom to the top of the Tower is 131 metres – but the antenna spire at the top brings the total height to 269 metres;
• At the top of the Tower there were six public floors including a revolving restaurant. For a mere 20 cents – in 1980 – you could get into a high-speed lift that travelled at 6 metres per second to the top of the tower. The Hillbrow tower has been closed for visitors since 1981.
• For 40 years it was the tallest man-made structure on the continent of Africa and, until 1979, the tallest in the southern hemisphere. These positions are currently occupied by the Nador Tower in Morocco (380 metres) and the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand (328 metres);
