Carlton Centre
| Carlton Centre | |
|---|---|
 A view of the tower from street level. |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Multi use, Office, Shopping mall |
| Location | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 26°12′20″S 28°2′48″E / 26.20556°S 28.04667°ECoordinates: 26°12′20″S 28°2′48″E / 26.20556°S 28.04667°E |
| Opening | 1973 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 223 metres (730 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 50 |
| Floor area | 75,355 square metres (811,110 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | Transnet |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill |
The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. At 223 metres (732 ft), it has been the tallest building in Africa for 38 years. The Carlton Centre has 50 floors. The foundations of the two buildings in the complex are 5 m (16 ft) in diameter and extend 15 m (49 ft) down to the bedrock, 35 m (115 ft) below street level. The building houses both offices and shops, and has over 46 per cent of the floor area below ground level. The Carlton Centre is linked to the Carlton Hotel by a below ground shopping centre with over 180 shops as well as an ice skating rink all set below an above ground public plaza.[1]
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[edit] History
The Carlton Centre was designed by the American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Anglo American Properties began construction in the late 1960s by demolishing the old Carlton Hotel and the closing roads to form a city superblock.[2] Excavations for the Carlton began in January 1967, and took two years to complete. Although occupation of the Centre began in 1971, construction was finally completed until 1974. The building officially opened in 1973 at a total cost of over R88 million.[3]
The building is the head office of transport parastatal Transnet, who purchased it in 1999. In June 2007, Transnet group chief executive Maria Ramos revealed the company's intention to offer the building for sale. The Carlton Centre has served as Transnet's headquarters since 2000, after the parastatal purchased it for ZAR R33 million from Anglo American Properties.[4] The disposal of the property forms part of Transnet's restructuring program which includes the disposal of non-core assets. Due to the economic downturn that began in 2008, the parastatal announced it would not seek a buyer until markets recovered.
Although Transnet has given no indication of the price, the replacement cost of the building has been estimated at ZAR R1.5 billion.[5]
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The high crime rate in the downtown area of Johannesburg encouraged many of the building's former tenants to relocate to more secure locations. The adjoining Carlton Hotel, the inverted Y-shaped sister building, has been closed and mothballed since 1997 due to low occupancy associated with urban decay of the city centre.[6][7] The Carlton Centre itself remains in use however.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Carlton Centre Office Tower". Emporis. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=carltoncentreofficetower-johannesburg-southafrica/. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ "History". Transnet. http://carlton-centre.co.za/history.php. Retrieved 2008-12-09.[dead link]
- ^ Johannesburg Landmarks "Johannesburg Landmarks: Carlton Centre". Rodney Jones. http://www.amethyst.co.za/jhblandmarks/ Johannesburg Landmarks. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ Terence Creamer (29 June 2009). "Parastatals should contribute to housing obligations". polity.org.za. http://www.polity.org.za/article/parastatals-should-contribute-to-housing-obligations-2009-06-29. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ Ian Fife (22 June 2007). "Transnet to cash in Carlton". Financial Mail (fm.co.za).
- ^ "Dusting off the Carlton - and its memories". City of Johannesburg. http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=955&Itemid=0. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ Ndaba Dlamini (24 October 2004). "Sars moves to Carlton Centre". City of Johannesburg. http://joburgnews.co.za/2004/oct/oct4_sars.stm. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ "The Carlton Hotel". Death of Johannesburg Series. 29 July 2006. http://dojcarltonhotel.blogspot.com/. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
