On the 4th of October 2026, Johannesburg celebrates its 140th anniversary. To mark this occasion, JHF has created a view of the city through an unusual and precious record of its past: the architectural plans preserved in the City of Johannesburg’s plans archive.
Currently on display at the Rand Club, the exhibition takes us through some of Johannesburg’s remarkable survivors and tragic losses: an early house at Oaklands; Friedenheim at Jeppe Boys High School, now demolished but remembered through its original gates; the Bez Valley farmhouse, possibly the oldest surviving house within Johannesburg; the original Cullinan Home and Cullinan Chambers; Pen-y-Bryn in Parktown, now demolished; Broadcast House in Commissioner Street; and the plans for an old cottage in Braamfontein dating as far back as 1890.
‘See’ buildings that have disappeared, understand the buildings that survive, and appreciate how profoundly the city has changed over 140 years.
The full exhibition booklet, compiled by Kathy Munro and Michele Vrdoljak, can be found below.