Abandoned buildings

I have a fascination with abandoned buildings in our city. So, this will definitely not be the last post on this subject. I even love it more when I get to be involved with the regeneration and restoring those abandoned buildings. But there's something about that emptiness, that presence of absence. For me it is like the walls and floors are the silent storytellers of the occupants over the years. I am fortunate to work on one of those abandoned buildings in Pretorius street. I cannot reveal too much of it right now but I cannot wait to start working on it next year. It is one of the few Late Art Deco buildings in the city and has enormous potential to be restored to its former glory. Here are some snippets:

The stairwell looking upwards. Very Art Deco. Note the rounded corners and the smooth plasterwork.

One of the original boardrooms. Not sure what the thing on the right was - maybe an old air-con unit? Fireplace? Note the herringbone pattern of the parquet flooring...and wait for it - this is solid oak!



The switch gear in the lift motor room. This is incredible - you can actually see these things jumping up and down as the lift buttons in the car are pressed. This is still in mint condition, most of the parts date back to the 1930's.

An old radiator in one of the offices. I think we should leave some of these original fittings as

memorabilia.



My favourite photo of this series. Because of water ingress to some of the floors, there's actually fungi growing. Isn't this a lovely contradiction - nature finding it's way into the man-made environment?