Springs: The second biggest collection of art deco buildings in the world
Take a tour with us and learn incredible facts about Springs you may not have known.
The Eastern Gauteng Chamber of Commerce and Industry initiated a walk through town to raise awareness and educate people more about Springs’ collection of art deco buildings.
Interesting fact: According to architect Jeffrey Cole, Paul Kruger had a farm in what is now known as Geduld.
Accompanied by two security guards from a security company, local tourists felt much safer walking the streets and photographing buildings.
The walk was guided by Jeffrey Cole who shared his expertise on the subject and told the group more about the buildings’ history.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgdGnKMF08o/?hl=en&taken-by=springs_addie
At the start of the walk, Cole explains these buildings were the commercial buildings of their time and the architecture was about commercialisation.
Also read: Take a walk through Springs’ art deco history
“They are also earlier examples of brand consciousness,” he says.
Cole became curious about art deco buildings when he was growing up in Benoni and asked himself why these buildings are being neglected and not appreciated.
“Art deco is a style which was named after an exposition held in Paris in 1925, but no one could pronounce it so they shortened it to art deco,” he says.
Also read: Art deco buildings prioritised
The new look was designed to imitate the Great Gatsby era and ship-liners which signals wealth.
Art deco started in New York and Chicago and became a symbol of the period in the early 1900s.
Springs is second to Miami with regards to its collection of art deco buildings.
Miami experienced a severe hurricane in 1929 and was forced to rebuild most of their buildings, to which they chose the art deco style.
Why Springs?
Springs evolved at a quick rate when gold was discovered here in 1899.
Known before as only a coal mining town, and with the discovery of gold, the town flourishedCole says during the late 1920s and early 30s the youth were leading the town as its mayor was 29 years old and with this younger generation, they wanted to ‘modernise’ the town and decided to go with the look of art deco.
“From the early 30s to 1939, art deco buildings were constructed within the nine-year period.”
It was with this information in hand, that the group of about 30 to 40 people took to the streets of Springs CBD where Cole pointed out the buildings and what made them art deco.
During the guided tour, he pointed out a building which was once art deco, but can no longer be seen as such as a ‘new’ facade covers the art deco features of the building.
Mary Reynolds, who was also on the tour, says they have so far identified 45 of the buildings of about 52 in Springs.
Follow us on our social media platforms:
