Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.	Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon		Markham's Building Johannesburg, Gauteng George RANSOME: Architect

Date: 1896 Type: Retail Status: Extant Street: Eloff/Pritchard Sts   Click to view map Coordinates: 26°12'10.51" S 28°02'36.81" E Alt: 1767m

In the late 1970s the Foschini Group bought Markhams and two adjoining buildings on the corner of Eloff and Pritchard streets in the CBD. They submitted plans for a new building consisting of shops and offices, which would entail the demolition of the historic building and its two neighbours...It took lengthy negotiations and a “memorable compromise” before the building was saved from demolition. For the full story see Markhams' battle for survival by Lucille Davie, The Heritage Portal, Wednesday, October 24, 2018. Transcription of Blue Plaque: JOHANNESBURG CITY HERITAGE MARKHAM'S BUILDING Built in 1897, the mining town's tallest building expressed confidence in the future. This premier gentlemen's outfitter symbolises the city's retail history and remains a landmark in time and place. The building was saved from demolition in 1978, thanks to a public outcry and the combined efforts of heritage organisations, together with the the city council. (The Heritage Portal) Books that reference Markham's Building Bawcombe, Philip & Scannell, Ted. 1973. Philip Bawcombe's Johannesburg. Johannesburg: Village Publishing. pg 31 ill, 32 Chipkin, Clive M. 1993. Johannesburg Style - Architecture & Society 1880s - 1960s. Cape Town: David Phillip. pg 46 ill, 111 Gaylard, Shaun & McDougall, Brett . 2022. RSA 365 : 365 Drawings of South African Architecture. Johannesburg: Blank Ink Design. pg 75, 75 ill Picton-Seymour, Désirée. 1977. Victorian Buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: AA Balkema. pg 350 van der Waal, Gerhard-Mark. 1987. From Mining Camp to Metropolis - The buildings of Johannesburg 1886-1940. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. pg 75, 76, 77 ill, 83