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Smart new office and retail buildings now
characterise the area around Gandhi Square,
where once was decay and desperation.
THE once dilapidated Marlborough, Umoya and Lunga houses have been
restored to their former glory, thanks to Olitzki Property Holdings (OPH),
which won this year's Halala Joburg Award in the Buying and Working Joburg
category.
Smart new office space
Talking about winning the award, Gerald
Olitzki, the chief executive officer of OPH, said: "We are very honoured to
have won the award and we are looking forward to the future because we have a
lot of wonderful projects on the drawing board."
The company was looking forward to changing
and improving the face of Joburg inner city, he added.
Now home to top companies and shops, in the
past these three buildings were havens for illegal squatters and criminals. When
OPH bought them, it had to start from scratch in terms of rewiring, replacing
lifts and reviving the structures, which had been completely ruined by the squatters.
Lunga House
Lunga House, situated not far from Gandhi
Square, was designed in the 1920s and 1930s and is
recognised as an important heritage node.
By the late 1990s, the building was
extremely dilapidated and had been partly destroyed by fire. Adding to the
damage were people who used the place as a shelter at night. But today it is
one of the delightful places in the inner city.
Umoya House
OPH bought Umoya House, which is located on the south end of Gandhi Square,
after the notorious Red Ants cleared over 3 000 squatters from it.
The company not only fixed the appearance
of the building but also moved the entrance, originally on Rissik Street, to Gandhi Square. "Not only was this
aesthetically pleasing, but improved the overall flow of the building," reads an
OPH press release.
Lunga House before the renovation
Previously in a sorry condition, it is now
converted into a fully let, A-grade office building with tenants including
McDonald's, Steers, MTN and FNB.
Marlborough House
Marlborough House, on the corner of Eloff and Fox streets, suffered severe
neglect after it was left to rot for 15 years, before OPH came to its rescue.
Today, this once scary structure has been
renovated from an under-used mess into the national home of the Council for
Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the Bargaining Council for Restaurants
and Catering, Mimmos, Lulus, African Bank, Pie City,
Atlas Finance, Levingers and Blue Financial Services.
According to the press release, these three
buildings were nominated for and won the Halala Joburg Award because they
underlined the passion for inner city revival of Olitzki and his company.
"While the transformation of the buildings
has been a complete 180 degree about turn, it is the passion for ensuring that
the wild fire of rejuvenation continues to spread that makes one admire the
long-standing involvement of Gerald and OPH," adds the press statement.
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