A diagonal divide and heritage site
NEWTOWN - The architectural spectacular that is the Diamond Building on 11 Diagonal Street was created for a number of reasons and now serves as a reflection of the progress that has been made since apartheid.
The building in Newtown was designed by Helmut Jahn and was completed in 1983. It officially opened in 1984 at a height of 80m, with 20 floors.
The Diamond Building was created amidst the Victorian and Edwardian structures that came before it, which created a stark contrast between the developments on Diagonal Street. It signified progress and aimed to move the newly built-up area, which had just become known as Newtown, into a prosperous business precinct.
Diagonal Street was also the western border of the mining town and marked the divide between the Johannesburg CBD and Newtown.
A portion of Diagonal Street fell outside of what was known as town and so that was the area where non-whites could travel.
Despite the fact that complete racial segregation was the main goal of the government at the time, all non-white races intermingled on the side of Diagonal Street that was considered no man’s land.
The Diamond Building was considered the main business hub of Newtown and, according to the Red Bus City Tour guide, was created with glass panes from top to bottom in order to allow people on the inside to see all the different views of, what was then, the Central Business District.
It was shaped like a diamond so that from every angle, a different facet of the city could be seen.
The construction of the building was commissioned by Anglo American but was bought by Absa in 2007 for use as office space.
Today the building continues to stand in Newtown and is known as a heritage landmark that signifies the progression from what it stood for then and what the town of Johannesburg has since become.
