Fire House 9 undergoing refurbishment

RELATED LINKS: Two gum trees, firemen and horse races The two tall, single-trunk gum trees outside the Turffontein Fire Station were ostensibly used by firemen to spot smoke and potential fires in the southern suburbs. But for the firemen there was a much more important function, sufficient to warrant a plaque in the grass alongside all that exists of the trees today - two stumps in the grass. Read more About Emergency Management Services Johannesburg's traditional "fire department" has come a long way since the days when its primary function was fighting fires Read more

Individual office fronts being constructed

The Baker Street office entrances

Rosebank Fire Station gets trendy August 13, 2004 By Lucille Davie HAVING survived the threat of demolition and changes of ownership, the 68-year-old Rosebank Fire Station is embarking on a second life as small businesses transform unused space into upmarket offices. The two-storey L-shaped Art Deco building, on the corner of Bath Avenue and Baker Street in Rosebank, was built in 1937 and up until about eight years ago, offered single-quarter accommodation to firemen. In those days, it was the only building on the west side of the road, which stretched into the distance towards the Johannesburg CBD. Bolton Road, the arterial that links Jan Smuts Avenue and Oxford Road, didn't exist, and Bath Avenue was two-way. The Rosebank Fire Station shortly after it was built in 1937 It's a pleasing building, finished with rich red brick and grey plaster, with a traditional red roof tile. The entrance is dominated by a protruding rounded balcony with long straight railings and rounded red bricks, in classical Art Deco style. Below the balcony are three tall teak doors, behind which sit three gleaming fire engines. Around the corner is a two-storey rounded bay window. Around eight years ago the emergency services did away with on-site accommodation and downgraded their fire stations to fire houses. This left a good deal of the building empty. Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) approached the City with an offer to buy the building for R7,4-million, on condition they were given business rights for the site, and could demolish the building and erect a six-storey office block in its place. Shortly after the purchase, says Justus van der Hoven, director of ARC Architects, the company presently involved in the refurbishment of the station, Rosebank went through "a funny period" during which the major banks relocated to Illovo and Melrose Arch, and RMB couldn't attract tenants to the building they owned behind the station. RMB then got permission from the South African Heritage Resources Agency and the City to demolish part of the building, which left just the three central engine bays and the offices immediately surrounding it. After a lengthy back-and-forth battle, RMB finally decided to sell the building this year. ARC, with offices in nearby Parktown North, purchased the building. Van der Hoven said they realised it would be ideal for small tenants, and even before they started the refurbishment, they had eight tenants lined up: a firm of interior designers, a film editing company and a smart card company among them. The rounded protruding balcony "This fits the profile of the Rosebank tenant," says Van der Hoven. He explains that Sandton attracts much larger tenants, whereas Rosebank suits the smaller tenant, within a block or two to the shopping areas of the Rosebank Mall, The Zone and Mutual Square. Despite the creation of eight offices, the three parking bays and the fire engines which add an element of charm, will stay where they are, together with the control room. On the top floor, a kitchen, shower and toilets, and communal room are being re-modelled for the fire officers. Emergency Management Services uses the space free of charge, an arrangement inherited from the RMB deal with the City. Each office space consists of two floors, and says Van der Hoven, the specifications vary considerably. Some have retained the original parquet floors, others have opted for carpeting, while others have lifted the wood and have painted concrete flooring. Some have broken through the walls of the original three-bedroomed flats, creating open-plan office space with a spectrum of effects: from sedate cream to funky colours and papered imitation bamboo walls. All the offices have street frontage, which is also the main entrance. "The façade largely remains as it was, but we have just enhanced the entrances to allow for company branding," says Van der Hoven. The original underground parking will also remain, but ARC is digging into the foundations of the engine bays are as the new fire engines are taller and larger and need more space. The central courtyard will remain as parking, and the original store rooms at the back of the complex will at a future date get an extra storey and be converted into more office space. The refurbishment started in mid-March and is expected to be completed by the end of September, when the fire service will move back into the building. The engines have been re-located to Roosevelt Park station. It seems things are certainly happening in Rosebank. A Financial Mail report indicates that several shopping areas adjoining the Rosebank Mall and The Zone - Admiral's Court, Regent Place and Mutual Square - are to be re-developed in 2005, and the planned Gautrain station has attracted much residential developer interest. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za