Kids Haven was an immaculate hotel in its heyday

The building at number 34 Cranbourne Avenue, erected in 1909 as The Whitehouse Hotel and owned by SA Breweries, was one of the first hotels in Benoni.

February 2, 2017

1 minute read

The architects of this building are unknown.

In 1910 a newspaper advertised “full board with room £7.10 per month”.

In 1964, Suru Kourie, a bookmaker from Johannesburg, and his wife, Joan, ventured into the hotel business and rented the hotel from SA Breweries.

They changed the name to the Constantia Hotel and did a complete refurbishment of the hotel, which included a public bar and a private bar for residents, as well as two lounges.

The dining room was immaculate and run to perfection.

They had a chef named Solly, who served top “à la carte” meals and the fine dining brought “celebrities”, namely Tom Jones and other well-known people of the time, to the hotel, which exuded perfection and ambience.

About two years later, a women’s bar was added and the interior design was of extreme magnificence, including Persian rugs, shutters and cane furniture, with background music setting a scene of tranquility and opulence.

When Kourie died in September 1973, the Constantia closed shortly thereafter.

A business college occupied the building for a short time and in 1975 the Benoni Town Council bought it and transformed the building into a service centre for the aged, which opened in 1976 under the auspices of the Benoni Town Council, sponsored by L Koekemoer, of Benoni.

Due to continuous burglaries and after 24 years of serving the aged, the Constantia Service Centre closed its doors in 2000.

New challenges then opened the doors for Kids Haven in 2001.

Information supplied by Glynis Cox Millett-Clay