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Student accommodation, yuppie lofts, shiny corporate buildings, restaurants and night clubs, all underlined by the efforts of the City and private sector, are bringing the vibe back to Braamfontein.
FOR all its city appearance, Braamfontein has retained much of its village feel of yesteryear - if perhaps a more fast-paced village.
The hoot of the owl may have been replaced by the honk of taxis; the scruffy bramble bushes - after which the area is named - by clipped, landscaped gardens but a walk around this beautiful precinct shows just why it has maintained one of the lowest vacancy rates in Johannesburg, even at the height of inner city decline in the 1980s.
It's an inner city village
Still one of the largest office nodes in Johannesburg, Braamfontein is fast becoming a sought after residential suburb, both for laid-back denim-clad students and trendy city slickers of all ages.
Returning back to its suburban, homely roots is apt in a way - in the 1950s it had much the same look as some of the older suburbs of Joburg today, filled with semi-detached houses, small blocks of flats and canteens.
But where once the Braamfontein skyline was dominated by low-rise buildings, it is now high-rise flats and office blocks which pierce the sky.
Inner city village
The mature plane and oak trees, planted over 50 years ago, stand tall. In addition, the City of Johannesburg through its parks utility, City Parks, and the private sector have introduced indigenous plantings of river bush willows and white stinkwoods.
In autumn the street trees turn the precinct into a show of oranges, browns and yellows; in summer they create a green canopied haven.
The roads are wide and airy; the pavements clean and neatly paved. The signs of careful maintenance can be seen in beautifully maintained corporate gardens, litter-free streets and a vibrant street life, the likes of Nino's, Pantsula Bites and Debonairs catering for those in for a quick bite; while in De Korte Street you can get a table at Narina Trogon, a restaurant that emulates the eateries of New York City in both décor and gastronomic experience.
Property transactions
The growth in property transactions over the last decade shows just how healthy this precinct has become; in 1998 only two properties were sold; in 2008 this had grown to over 600, and at the height of the property boom in 2007, over 1 000 property sales took place.
Keeping Braamfontein secure and clean
According to Hans Jooste, the general manager of the Johannesburg Inner City Business Coalition, the private sector spends some R3,5-million every year in this precinct, making sure safety, security and cleanliness is maintained.
It is about more than complementing the City's overstretched services - it is a critical private-public partnership. The one cannot exist without the other and, according to Jooste, the relationship between the City and the private sector is "a genuine partnership" with both committed to maintaining the regeneration effort.
"There is a real will to upgrade the inner city and to keep it that way. We just need to keep at it, then we shall go from strength to strength," he adds.
Services
It remains an ongoing and growing challenge to keep up with this dynamic precinct, agrees Nkosinathi Mthethwa, the regional director of the inner city. There has been a growth in its student population as a result of the number of office buildings that have been converted into residential units.
Mthethwa is happy that the City and the private sector will continue to work together. "We have made a commitment from the City's side that we are going to work with them to address the challenges they have in terms of service delivery."
André Oberholzer, the group head of corporate affairs at Sappi, says the improvement district is in constant contact with City departments and service utilities to ensure that services are maintained. At times this is a bit of a challenge, he says, but he believes there is "goodwill" from the council's side.
Sappi was one of the key drivers of the regeneration effort in 2002 which turned the precinct around, adding the Sappi Gardens, a pedestrian walkway with fountains, building additional structures and a parking garage to the area around its corporate head quarters. The latter is used by Joburg Theatre Complex patrons in the evening.
Partners
The Braamfontein Improvement District (BID) is one such private-public partnership. Now in its fifth year, it represents just a small part of the bigger precinct - its boundaries are Hoofd Street in the north, De Korte Street in the south, Simmonds Street in the east and Bertha Street in the west -reflecting the corporate flavour of the area with the likes of Sappi, Liberty Life, JD Group, SAB Miller and Rennies all finding a home here.
BID's role is to keep the precinct vibrant, safe and clean. This is done through various interventions, including public safety ambassadors patrolling the street; an information caravan in Ameshoff Street and the latest, an urban management system that tracks incidences of crime and service breakdowns in a coherent and systematic manner to keep improving safety, security and service delivery.
Oberholzer believes Braamfontein remains a great area with great transport connections, of which the forthcoming BRT (Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit) and Gautrain will just add to the precinct.
Small entrepreneurs
And it is not just the big corporates that are flocking back to this vibrant district.
The sandwich lady, Cari Versfeld
Tucked away in Henri Street, stands a beautifully renovated building. Once a dilapidated shell and scrappy parking area it now houses Gatsby Property Brokers - which revamped the building - an advertising agency, a small personnel agency, a sign writing company and a very intrepid young business woman.
Cari Versfeld is a sandwich lady with a difference. A lawyer by training, she saw a need in the Braamfontein food market supplying gourmet sandwiches to the area. So she swapped her leather briefcase for sandwich containers, her fat legal files for crisp lettuce leaves.
After more than eight months in the business she is going from strength to strength, making delectable lunch time treats and sandwich platters for businesses and individuals in Braamfontein and surrounding areas, which she then delivers.
Her reason for choosing Braamfontein was two-fold: it offered a foothold into a niche market, but more importantly, she experiences the precinct as a lot less frenetic than the central business district in terms of traffic, parking and general activity.
"We absolutely love it here. It [Braamfontein] also has a lovely vibe. It has the student vibe. You can see where it is rejuvenated; you can see the new energy coming into Braamfontein."
Energy
It is exactly this energy which first drew Narina Trogon's owner, Carlyn Zehner, into the city. American by birth, this long-time New Yorker and Londoner say she was amazed that residents were not appreciating the beautiful city that Joburg is in her eyes.
"Braamfontein with its proximity to Wits, a stunning campus, to the Origins Centre, the theatres, Alexander Theatre just a block away; it feels like home to me."
She also loves the amount of public art in the precinct. This includes the Clive van den Berg Eland and the metal trees in Juta Street, initiatives driven by the private sector in partnership with the City of Johannesburg.
Education hub
Braamfontein has always been an educational hub thanks to the dominance of the University of the Witwatersrand. Over the years other institutions have added to its academic character. There is Damlin, Rosebank College, ABC, Liberty Life College and a number of private schools.
The precinct has become a bevy of activity at all hours of the day not only because students study here, but thanks to property developers such as South Point, Aengus Lifestyle Properties and others, are also now living there.
It has changed the precinct into an inner city space that is alive and functional, agrees Kevin Kenealy, owner of The Bridge Diner on Broadway in Juta Street. Kenealy walks the streets of Braamfontein on a regular basis and says it has improved drastically over the last few years. "It has become a friendlier place. There is such a young, enthusiastic vibe in Braamfontein."
In the last seven years there has especially been a change from a distinctly corporate to a more diverse precinct, with a good mix of student accommodation, middle- to upper-class loft apartments, retailing and quality A and B grade office facilities all available.
More residential
A number of once strictly commercial and retail buildings have been revamped into sectional title residential areas. And although small pockets of decay remain Braamfontein is all but bought up, according to Jooste.
Student life in Braamfontein
Pierre Simon from Gatsby Property Brokers describes the development and rejuvenation of Braamfontein over the last four years since he has been active in the suburb as "astounding".
He credits the efforts of large corporations such as Sappi, SAB Miller, JD Group and Liberty for starting the rejuvenation, and South Point for its major contribution in developing the residential component.
"What makes Braamfontein so special is that although there are some world-class buildings in the area, there are also small buildings that the individual buyer or small business can afford to buy as a first commercial property."
Simon says the precinct also offers the opportunity for smaller property investors who cannot afford to buy their own standalone property, to secure sectional title retail space and sectional title office space.
South Point has revamped and now owns 16 buildings in Braamfontein, of which nine accommodate over 2 000 students. And it plans to bring in even more students over the next year. "We will have capacity for 3 521 student beds and 467 residential apartments by January 2010," confirms Sharon Mans of South Point.
Aengus Lifestyle Properties (ALP) is likewise an active player, providing fully furnished rooms for young professionals and students. The quaint rooms are tastefully decorated and a far cry from student life in varsity residences.
Lofts too
The group's first development was to renovate the old Perm Building, called Biccard House, into trendy loft apartments. Located in the heart of Braamfontein, the development remains a popular choice for young professionals.
Richard Rubin, the chief executive officer of ALP, says the company is clearly filling a much-needed gap. "What we do is what people need," he says, adding that his company has a zero vacancy rate in all of its buildings.
ALP has just begun converting the historic YMCA building in Rissik Street into its biggest mixed-use development to date. Once completed, the 117 residential units will have WiFi and satellite television, and the building will have its own retail areas downstairs. The development will include 4 000m2 of commercial space.
Demand for more residential development is especially driven by the massive influx of out-of-town and foreign students.
One of these students is Zimbabwean Tinashe Nyandoro, in his second year BSc at Wits. He has lived in the precinct since the beginning of 2008 and says Braamfontein offers a lot in terms of accommodation, both in choice and quantity.
The building he lives in - Broadway in Juta Street - is a revamped office block converted to sectional title flats which offers security, a swimming pool and deck, a main lounge, laundry, gym and an in-house restaurant, The Bridge Diner on Broadway.
He agrees that Braamfontein is very much a student area, and a beautiful one at that. "They [the City and Braamfontein Improvement District] have managed to create the whole green areas feeling. And the streets are kept very clean," he says. But he has concerns over security, especially as he has to walk the streets at night on his way back from campus.
In general, students find the area a home away from home, catering for most of their needs.
Carol Ledwaba, a Wits student taking a gap year, says her peers love the area because of its vibrant city character. "There are a lot of chill places, a lot of session places, nice places where one can lunch and study."
Playing
South Point's Mans says the company still feels there is an enormous lack of amenities in the area.
Narina Trogon Restaurant in De Korte Street
"We believe there is a desperate need for more outside green areas, pavement café type coffee shops, night spots. There are no night-time places where [young] people living in the city can relax and mingle."
Yet, the precinct already offers an array of entertainment, if you know where to look.
On Thursday nights students make their way to the open mike sessions at The Bridge Diner. They can sing or read their own poetry, says Kenealy. "The students like that kind of thing."
Weekends are, of course, clubbing time. There are three night clubs in the area, all catering for different audiences. Inc on Juta Street is a newly refurbished night club for the well-heeled and on-their-way-up-the-ladder group.
More centrally located is Simply Blue on de Korte Street, which caters for a diverse, mature crowd; close by is Gringo's, leaning more towards the student fraternity, while taverns like The Bliss and Raja Raja are typical watering holes favoured by a mix of Braamies patrons.
And if a more laid-back Friday night is preferred, residents can make their way to Narina Trogon, where every second Friday the sounds of saxophonist Billy K can be heard; and the last Saturday of every month is reserved for a sun-downer session with DJ Charles Leonard. The restaurant also has an under-roof exhibition area, called the Canopy, where exhibitions and functions can be held.
It is this mix of inner city frenzy, sprinkled with student frivolity and dappled with corporate seriousness which gives Braamfontein its charm and character. "Braamfontein is a huge success," Jooste sums up.
He is upbeat about its future; more particularly, he foresees that the inner city will return to its former glory and take its place as a truly 24-hour city.
"I give it no longer than 2011," he says.
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