Old Park Station site: possible new museum?

[Steve Appleton]

The following story has been published by the Heritage Portal in respect of a housing development taking place in the vicinity of the old Johannesburg Park Station site and structure. A stop order was placed on the development pending a heritage impact assessment.

The article states: "This heritage gem which dates from 1895 was Johannesburg’s first railway station. It is a marvellous confection of wrought decorated cast iron, wrought iron and glass forming a cathedral like canopy or roof and was designed by the Dutch architect, Jacob Klinkhamer. It was a prefabricated structure manufactured in the Netherlands and shipped to the Transvaal as Johannesburg’s first railway station on Noord St."

The article goes on to say: "It was preserved and relocated to Esselen Park, Kaalfontein where it was re-erected on the property of the S A R Central Training Institute, where it was used as a signals training centre. In the 1990s it was brought back to its present Newtown site with the intention of establishing a railway museum and exhibition centre as part of the Newtown cultural complex. Sadly, Transnet took the decision not to go ahead and rather to develop railway museums in George and Kimberley."

Needless to say this decision left the old structure in absolute limbo where it has stood on a concrete plinth, unused and unloved ever since, miraculously surviving squatters, vandals and scrap thieves in what is presently not the most salubrious location. The article reports that Transnet is planning a "world class" museum focussing on freight. Let's hope that does indeed happen! Regrettably the track record is not great. The "museum line" from George to Knysna has been closed for years, Kimberley can hardly be called a museum at all. There were even at one time plans to revamp and use the goods sidings and platforms in the old market complex as departure points for heritage museum tour trains. That came to nought and those sidings are now long gone.

The article's authors are quite scathing:
"In summary, we consider the Heritage Impact Assessment to be:
-- Incomplete,
-- Insufficiently cognisant of a view and an opinion from Transnet,
-- Insufficiently explicit about a viable future for the Johannesburg Station,
-- Lacking in a broader vision for the site and the wider unique development opportunity."
And further:
"We also feel very strongly that this intervention focuses our attention on the need for Transnet to admit its obligations to the heritage and secure, maintain and repair Park Station. That obligation starts now – not in six months’ time. We urge interested stakeholders to join with JHF in rejecting the HIA. (my empahsis)"

Read the full article here at The Heritage Portal website and let's have your suggestions and comments below... (please keep them sensible and clean!)
http://www.heritageportal.co.za/article ... ation-site

[Steve Appleton]

The deadline for comment and submissions relating to the planned "Brickfields North Social Housing Development" abuttiung the proposed old Park Station museum site has been extended to 20 July 2015.
See: http://www.heritageportal.co.za/notice/ ... t-near-old