November 10, 2003
By Lucille Davie
THERE'S a newly planted olive grove in Milpark. It's part of a delightful new retail and office complex in Milpark, a conversion of eight nondescript office buildings into what is called 44 Stanley Avenue.
The main mover and shaker behind the development is Brian Green, already in the area with office space in Quince Road, Milpark, an enclave almost exclusively occupied by media and advertising businesses.
The buildings are owned by Old Mutual and up until five years ago, were rented by the AA for their administrative division. Since then the buildings have gradually degenerated, but when Green walked into the space, he was struck by its potential.
"It was like a bunch of old school buildings but I love the creative element here," says Green.
It's a mishmash of one, two and three-storey buildings, with several entrances on Stanley Avenue, the main one leading into a small courtyard which will be one of several courtyards in the complex.
It is to be a mix of retail and office space - with around 18 shops and 12 companies taking up space. The retail space includes two restaurants (one specialising in catering specifically for children and their parents), a ceramic studio offering classes for children, a mosaic studio, a funky décor shop called Lucky Fish, a Chinese antiques retailer, an art gallery and a bar called The Color Bar.
Green says he particularly wanted to include children in the design. "Kids keep the atmosphere light."
The companies complement the other office space in this rejuvenated triangle of Milpark: they'll be media and TV companies, artists and architectural firms, in keeping with neighbouring Media Mill (housing the Mail & Guardian newspaper), the recently renovated bakery in Owl Street into a film and television production company, called Atlas Studios, and of course, the film school, Afda, around the corner, in Frost Avenue.
And in the broader environment, there's the SABC in Auckland Park, and the acting and artist community of Melville, the clientele Green wants to attract to 44 Stanley Avenue.
Right next door is an exciting development called The Refinery, where 29 loft apartments are being created from three former office blocks. Already 10 apartments are occupied, and 24 will be ready for occupation by February.
Green is dead against the kind of consumer explosion and expansionism that has developed in the northern suburbs. "We don't want the swanksters here. People have become hung up on money. There's an honesty in the architecture here."
And he's capitalised on that - he's done minimal structural changes to the buildings, which are closely packed and naturally linked to one another. Ceilings have been ripped out to reveal beautiful timber struts, some walls have been removed to create bigger spaces, and odd door spaces have been knocked into walls. "We have ripped out everything that was dishonest."
And, most importantly, to balance the profusion of bare grey walls, he has introduced greenness. Besides the olive grove, there's a row of leopard trees, and large, creative pots of indigenous plants - buddlias and clivias, and 40 white stinkwood trees have been planted around the outside of the complex.
Under the olive grove is a long, rectangular boule court, with another one being built. "There'll be a tournament here next year," adds Green.
Two pleasing, round raised ponds have been created in the courtyards, with water gently bubbling up from their centres, adding to the relaxed ambience. A small arcade joins the two courtyards.
Green is a professional photographer, having formed two companies, The Cameraman and Gasworks Post with offices in Milpark, but is always looking for new challenges.
For this development he's in partnership with Mark Batchelor, a property developer and civil engineer from Sedgeley Developments. The complex still belongs to Old Mutual but the partners will become the owners in January when most tenants start taking up residence, to be fully occupied by March next year.
There's 4 000 square metres of space in all, all of it taken. Parking for tenants and customers is available across Stanley Avenue at Interpark, where's there's space for 500 cars.
This "hugely creative process" has been very satisfying for Green. "It's gratifying to see people come here and enjoy what I've created." He sees clientele for the shops and restaurants coming from the three office blocks in Stanley Avenue, but also from Melville, Auckland Park and surrounding suburbs.
With his "low-key changes" he feels he has created a "wonderfully calming and relaxed atmosphere" in the complex.
He's hoping it's going to have a wider function too. Being very impressed with the changes in Newtown and the CBD, he's hopeful that Milpark will be a stepping stone for people to get back into the city.
"Milpark is on the wrong side of Empire Road, but it's also on the road to Newtown," he says, "it's an incredible location."
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