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MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | FREELAND, MalcolmBorn: 1920Died: 2019/2020 ArchitectSACA:Reg No: 2091 Year registered: 1961 | |
BArch (Rand); Dip CD (Liv.); ARIBA; MSAITP; AMTPI; FRSA. FREELAND was born in Johannesburg in 1920. He was educated at St John’s College and matriculated in 1938. He studied architecture at the School of Architectuure, University of the Witwatersrand from where he graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Architecture. He later studied town planning and worked in London for some of years in the early 1950s. FREELAND returned to Johannesburg and was employed by the Johannesburg City Council in the City Engineers Department. He was an architect and town planner and at one point in his career was responsible for Johannesburg's aesthetic standards as the Aesthetics Officer for the Johannesburg City Council, a task he found singularly frustrating. In 1969 recorded as being a salaried member of the TPIA in the employ of the Johannesburg City Council. Malcolm maintained professional membership of several bodies. He was an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects , a member of the South African Institute of Architects, a member of the South African Institute of Town and Regional Planning and was a fellow of the British Royal Society of Arts. He was a subscriber all his life to the National Geographic Magazine. Malcolm lived at Darjeeling House, a remarkable early heritage home in Upper Houghton, close to Louis Botha Avenue, and on the borders of Parktown. The family were all keen royalists and it was a point of pride that they had enthusiastically welcomed the Royal family to Johannesburg in 1947. Their collection of royal memorabilia, books, photographs, and magazines was vast. Malcolm and his sister Patience were presented to Queen Elizabeth at her first royal garden party in London in 1953. Malcolm never seems to have stopped buying books. He must have been Exclusive Books's best customer and the books he chose were always beautifully produced – art, architecture, history, biography, travel (Italy and the UK were favourite themes), collectable jewellery, fashion, gardening and more. Malcolm was an inveterate cutter and saver of newspaper press cuttings on any subject that interested him, from heritage to politics to recipes and helpful how to do advice. The Star newspaper (once Johannesburg’s premier evening paper) was delivered to the family for over 100 years, a tradition that had been started by Malcolm’s father who first took out a subscription to the city paper. Cupboards, shelves and cardboard boxes were found stuffed with old newspaper cuttings. Malcolm was an amateur artist and keenly interested in the arts, particularly theatre, ballet and music, passions he shared with his sisters, Patience, and Joan Freeland. The family were keen travellers - to Europe, the USA, the Far East, often on group tours. There were adventures and cruises to Japan and India. Malcolm was proud of the fact that he had flown on a Concorde flight from London to New York. Malcolm was a strong supporter of The Market Theatre and had been involved in the adaptive re-use from the beginning, when the old Market Hall was converted into the theatre. Malcolm was also a supporter of Ballet in Johannesburg and was a member of Friends of the Ballet. Malcolm was also involved in the creation of the National Childrens Theatre at the two heritage houses in Junction Avenue Parktown, Ridgeholme and Wynnstay. These properties are owned by the Johannesburg City Council and Malcolm fought for a long-term lease for this much-loved theatre. Andre Marais of the Upper Houghton Residents Association and chair of the Joint Plans Committee East of Johannesburg Heritage, recalled: ‘’Malcolm was Upper Houghton's longest residential inhabitant. In this regard Malcolm, over the years, always attended the Upper Houghton AGMs and he was ever supportive of community initiatives. Malcolm and his sisters truly embraced and were a part of the fabric which has made Upper Houghton the desirable neighbourhood it still is today.’’ Malcolm is fondly remembered as a keen member and tour guide of the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust, the predecessor of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation. He was a good friend and passionate defender of Parktown heritage and contributed to the series of pamphlets, the Parktown Collection published on the occasion of the Parktown centenary in 1992; he wrote the pamphlet on The Shires (Outeniqua) - the heritage house in St Andrews Road, Parktown, now the Wits Business School. Bruce Eccles remembered Malcolm: ‘’Visiting Malcolm was like stepping back in time. It was as if World War II never happened. Having lived in Upper Houghton all his life, he was a repository of much community history. Even into advanced years he displayed an active interest in the UHRA, involving himself wherever he could. What a gentleman.’’ [Redacted from the obituary by Kathy Munro on the The Heritage Portal, May 6, 2024.] Books citing FREELAND | ||
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