The article in Paarl Post of 3 March 2022 on the “illegal” restoration undertaken on the PM Cross Building refers.
I am a long serving member of the Heritage and Aesthetics Committee in Wellington and councillor in Drakenstein responsible for, among other things, infrastructure and the built environment, recipient in a personal capacity of two merit awards for the sensitive restoration of an old building as well as the construction of a new building in the “sensitive” area of Wellington, both of these without the involvement of a heritage architect (purely due to the lack of funds). Through the layman’s eye I think I have some insight into what is acceptable and what just does not work. I venture to say that my gut feel has seldom let me down on these matters .
I must confess that it boggles the mind that Heritage Western Cape (HWC) is so quick out of the blocks to pursue a matter of “illegal alterations”, while in the case of the Goodnow Hall in Wellington (the owner is CPUT), the owners were nowhere to be seen nor have they been heard of for a number years since this iconic building was gutted through barbaric firebombing in the middle of student unrest.
If the Cross building is deemed of “immense heritage value as a place of cultural significance”, I think it is safe to say Goodnow Hall exceeds this description many times over in both the cultural and heritage significance stakes for many obvious reasons. This necessitates the question of why HWC is targeting the Cross Building while more pressing cases are flatly ignored. More pressure from Paarl in the right places?
The historic Blockhouse in Wellington is another case in point. This icon was also gutted through wanton destruction from vagrants. A national investor was fully on board with a restoration plan (an architect of significance) for this site and surrounding areas, as part of a multi-million rand development, job creation and tourism opportunity par-excellence. Needless to say, funding – ring-fenced for two years – was later withdrawn, and endeavours of HWC, among others, came to nought.
If one takes a look at Europe, with its much older history, one regularly comes across historic buildings where the very old and the ultra-modern are beautifully fused, unlocking commercial value to the full. Two such buildings immediately spring to mind:. The 12th-century ruins of Coventry Cathedral in England, incorporating 17th-century adaptations, brought about by war bombing, is marked as a heritage site. Now used for open air concerts, it stands across the way from the ultra-modern present cathedral, separated by a portico to make the link between the medieval and modern.
All of this is established on a beautiful piazza, which links the church to education via the entrance to the modern main building of Coventry University.. The oldest building in a Belgian city (11th century), built with hand-hewn stone, is today used as an information centre with the most magnificent steel-and-glass structure directly attached to the main building on the ground floor. It is light and welcoming next to the dark and damp structure that otherwise would have been a burden to the community.
Now it is alive and generating a huge income, judging by the number of people lined up to pay an entrance fee!
We cannot in all honesty hamper development such as that taking place at PM Cross. From the outside, a few signs changed with the change of the building’s tenants. Anything we cannot live with? No. Talk to the operator and discuss the size, location, fitting, and so on.
Whether it is the brand-new building next door or a 200-year-old building, every trader has the right to advertise. How can one find the sweet spot in these negotiations? Looking at the present frontage of the building, one will notice that not even a cracked tile was replaced in the entrance. I noticed that not even the broken spring in the original door handle was replaced.
That to me shows commitment to preserving if at all possible.
Inside, the columns and ceiling sections were retained and, once again, very little of the structure previously used was altered.
The murals are most probably not everybody’s cup of tea, but once again not anything that cannot be brought back to the original with a coat of paint after stripping. Standing on the pavement very little of the interior artwork is visible and, once again, it is part of their company image and should be respected. We are, after all, living in the 21st century.
Regarding Drakenstein Municipality, also coming under fire for its approval of the alteration plans, it must be pointed out that both Wellington H and A Committees as well as DHF are organs of the local authority, serving in an advisory capacity only.
This, then, does give the municipality a fair amount of freedom to act within the National Building Regulations.
Sometimes I think local government must come out in support of the rate-paying entrepreneur, willing to invest in our economy and therefore also creating much-needed job opportunities.
This is one of those cases. We just cannot have our bread buttered on both sides all the time.
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