Smart new office space

THE once dilapidated Marlborough, Umoya and Lunga houses have been restored to their former glory, thanks to Olitzki Property Holdings (OPH), which won this year's Halala Joburg Award in the Buying and Working Joburg category.

Talking about winning the award, Gerald Olitzki, the chief executive officer of OPH, said: "We are very honoured to have won the award and we are looking forward to the future because we have a lot of wonderful projects on the drawing board."

The company was looking forward to changing and improving the face of Joburg inner city, he added.

Now home to top companies and shops, in the past these three buildings were havens for illegal squatters and criminals. When OPH bought them, it had to start from scratch in terms of rewiring, replacing lifts and reviving the structures, which had been completely ruined by the squatters.

Lunga House

Lunga House before the renovation

Lunga House, situated not far from Gandhi Square, was designed in the 1920s and 1930s and is recognised as an important heritage node.

By the late 1990s, the building was extremely dilapidated and had been partly destroyed by fire. Adding to the damage were people who used the place as a shelter at night. But today it is one of the delightful places in the inner city.

Umoya House

OPH bought Umoya House, which is located on the south end of Gandhi Square, after the notorious Red Ants cleared over 3 000 squatters from it.

The company not only fixed the appearance of the building but also moved the entrance, originally on Rissik Street, to Gandhi Square. "Not only was this aesthetically pleasing, but improved the overall flow of the building," reads an OPH press release.

Previously in a sorry condition, it is now converted into a fully let, A-grade office building with tenants including McDonald's, Steers, MTN and FNB.

Marlborough House

Marlborough House, on the corner of Eloff and Fox streets, suffered severe neglect after it was left to rot for 15 years, before OPH came to its rescue.

Today, this once scary structure has been renovated from an under-used mess into the national home of the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the Bargaining Council for Restaurants and Catering, Mimmos, Lulus, African Bank, Pie City, Atlas Finance, Levingers and Blue Financial Services.

According to the press release, these three buildings were nominated for and won the Halala Joburg Award because they underlined the passion for inner city revival of Olitzki and his company.

"While the transformation of the buildings has been a complete 180 degree about turn, it is the passion for ensuring that the wild fire of rejuvenation continues to spread that makes one admire the long-standing involvement of Gerald and OPH," adds the press statement.