BONGANI MTHETHWA

A LAST-MINUTE reprieve by the eThekwini municipality has halted the partial demolition of an architectural landmark in Durban.

City manager Michael Sutcliffe told The Times that plans to tear down the facade of the Nedbank Building, designed by South African architect Norman Eaton, in Durban’s Anton Lembede Street (formerly Smith Street), were halted pending an investigation.

The intention to pull down the facade sparked outrage among city architects who believe the building should be protected.

A group of concerned city architects last week staged a protest outside the building, which is owned by Broll Properties.

Eaton’s other well- known buildings include House Greenwood, the Netherlands Bank and Polley’s Arcade, in Pretoria.

The architects say that, though the 23-floor Nedbank building, built in 1961, is not a heritage site because it is not more than 60 years old, the city could have declared it a “site of importance” to protect it.

Marius Jansen, one of the concerned architects, said the building was internationally recognised as a prime example of modern architecture.

He said he and his supporters were relieved that the demolition had been halted.

“The idea now is to create public awareness to try to save this building as a conservation site even though it’s not older than 60 years.”

Broll Group property manager Gerald Davy said the planned demolition was only partial, and that part of the office tower’s interior and facade were being refurbished to allow in more light.

“We wanted to brighten up the front of the building … and so we decided to do some changes on the front facade,” he said.

Work on the building has been halted pending the outcome of the investigation.

Source: The Times