Saturday, July 22, 2006
Yeoville was one of the 'trendiest' places in Johannesburg. Its main thoroughfare, Rockey Street, was the place for a very late night out, and here one could find an eclectic mix of exotic shops, dining establishments, clubs and who knows what all else, if you really looked.
And today? Well, let's let the pictures do the talking. My visit to Yeoville:
And today? Well, let's let the pictures do the talking. My visit to Yeoville:
Above: A "shop" in Rockey Road today. This is a typcial shopfront for the entire street.
Corner of Raymond and Rockey Streets, Yeoville. This used to be quite a famous restaurant, I can't recall its name offhand, but I am sure someone seeing this will. (Edit: Readers have pointed out that this was the famous Mama's. Thanks.)
Above: All that remains of the South Street cafe, Bellevue East, Yeoville. It's still open, but I didn't venture too close because of what appeared to be sewerage in the gutter, which really put me off a bit. Thank the good Lord for my 200ml zoom lens.
Above: The corner of Rockey and Bezuidenhout Streets, Yeoville. There used to be a late night takeway on this corner. (Edit: Readers have confirmed that it was a Kentucky Fried Chicken once upon a time as well.)
Above: Looking down Bezuidenhout Street towards Rockey Street.
Above: A little further up Bezuidenhout Street...
Above: The BP Garage on the north corner of the major Rockey and Bezuidenhout Street intersection. One of two petrol stations in Rockey Road, both closed down due to being continously robbed out of business. (Edit: A reader has confirmed that the last owner of this petrol station was shot dead with an AK-47 during a robbery. The station was just abandoned -- hence the pump's pipes hang loosely there, normally BP would take their stuff away).
Above: A typcial gutted house, corner of Muller and Bezuidenhout Streets. Even the roof has been stolen.
Above: Smashed apartments, Saunders Road Yeoville. Currently inhabited by squatters. The stench is unbelievable.
Above: Inhabited house, lower Rockey Street, towards Observatory. ALL of the houses here look like this.
Above: Typical filthy apartment block, Pope Street.
Above: Street scene, Dunbar Street.
Above: Joel Street, Berea.
Above: Apartments, Olivia Street, Berea.
Above: Apartments, cnr Lily Ave and Olivia Street, Berea. 
Above: The ruins of the Sands Hotel, O'Reilly Street, Hillbrow.
Above: The main entrance to the Sands Hotel, O'Reilly Street, Hilbrow -- or rather should I say the ruins of the Sands Hotel main entrance.
Above: The ruins of the Mark Hotel, O'Reilly Road, Hillbrow.
Above: A closeup of the ruins of the Mark Hotel, O'Reilly Road, Hillbrow.
Above: The corner of Catherine and Esseln Streets, Hillbrow. 
Above: The main entrance to the old Hillbrow Squash Centre, Pretoria Street. The escalators have long since been smashed, and the one on the right is in such poor condition that it is dangerous, hence it has been blocked with an old car bonnet.
Above: Smashed block, claiming to be home to a High School, corner Pretoria and Quartz Streets.
Above: Parkview Apartment block, Lily Ave, Berea. Fairly typical state of the buildings in the suburb today. Inhabited.
Above: A side view of the Parkview Apartment block, showing the equally typical street scene. What baffles me is the constant filth everywhere, even when trash cans are available, as one can see in the above picture.
Above: The bricked up remains of the Hatikvah Delicatessen, one of Hillbrow's more famous Jewish delis. Catherine Ave.
Above: Burnt out and gutted apartments, Catherine Street, Hillbrow.
Above: Corner Soper and Catherine Roads, Hillbrow. Fairly typical street scene.
Above: A gutted and bricked up building, corner Claim and Kotze Streets, Hillbrow.
Above: Gutted building and ruined furniture store, corner Edith Cavell and Kotze Streets, Hillbrow. 
Above: A closeup of the bricked up Big Deals....
Above: The Nedbank Plaza and the ruins of the Cafe Zurich, formerly a great late night hangout which used to serve the most wonderful Black Forest cake... Pretoria Street, Hillbrow.
Above: The gutted ruins of the Nedbank Plaza and the Cafe Zurich, Pretoria Street.
Above: The Ruins of Cafe Zurich, Pretoria Street, another view.
Above: The Harrison Reef Hotel....or what remains of it, rather.
Above: The entrance to the Highpoint "shopping centre" on Pretoria Street, as it looks today. Note the totally gutted building on the right. This seems to be a common pattern throughout the area.
Above: The Highpoint apartment block: back in the 1980s, it was the place to stay -- if you had an apartment there, you really had arrived. Very popular with the rich students at Wits University, it was...
A close-up of a few of the windows in Highpoint today. 
Above: the destroyed building on the corner of Claim and Pretoria Streets, Hillbrow. Peter Rose used to publish the Hillbrow Herald from this building...
Above: A closeup of the corner of Claim andPretoria Streets. There used to be a dance studio and a fancy fashion outfitters there... 
Above: Anyone remember buying records at the Hillbrow Record Centre, Pretoria Street, Hillbrow? Well you can't anymore. It's boarded and barred up, like many shops in the area.
Above: Anyone remember the Milky Lane milkshake shop above Hillbrow Record Centre? Well, it's also gone, long time....
Above: Street scene, Pretoria Road. Formerly one of the main shopping roads in Hillbrow. The mattresses and blankets are from locals who sleep in the streets.
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