What’s in a name: Commissioner Street
JOBURG - You may travel on Commissioner Street daily, but do you know why it was named so?
Commissioner Street is one of the busiest one-way streets in the city of Johannesburg. This is due to the fact that a number of office buildings are situated along the street, in addition to a number of historically significant buildings.
Commissioner Street in the city centre was named after commissioner Captain Carl von Brandis. He was born in Germany and served in the Hungarian and British armies. Von Brandis sailed to the Cape in 1857 and was given land on the eastern frontier. Later, he was appointed gold commissioner when farms were proclaimed open diggings in September 1886, and he set up his office in a tent on the now-called Commisioner Street. Von Brandis Street in the city was also named after the commisioner,
In May 1896, Carl Hertz bought a projector from England and screened the first movie seen in South Africa, at the Empire Palace of Varieties on Commissioner Street, thus introducing South Africa to the age of the bioscope.
The tallest building in Africa, the Carlton Centre is situated on the street and serves as a mall, office space and a heritage site in the city. The Rand Club, which recently closed, was a club for the wealthiest people in Johannesburg and was situated on Commissioner Street.
Also, one of the few Chinatowns in Gauteng is situated on this historic street.
A number of the older buildings on Commissioner Street have now qualified to be protected as national or provincial heritage sites.
Details: joburg.org.za
