Seaforth Court, Simon's Town

While attending the 7th World Congress on Art Deco in Cape Town during 2003, a few of us hired a minibus and a guide to do a few touristy things and do a bit of sightseeing along the cape.

Naturally we got him to stop if we spotted a deco building on the way and by the time we got to the African Penguin colony at Simon's Town, he was pointing them out to us.

Seaforth Court was one of his nominations and I think he did very well. It is quite majestic the way it curves around the street.

There is very little decoration. An interesting arrangement of bricks around the vents just below the roofline. Ribbed columns and porch at the entrance and a horizontal band on the small open balconies.

The ground floor has been finished in brick which contrasts against the white of the bulk of the building.

As is usual in a sunny climate, the windows are shaded by a concrete eyebrow running the length of the curved facade.

I don't know if we recruited a deco disciple that afternoon but I can imagine him pointing out some deco highlights as he ferrys tourists around the cape.