Sunday, March 13, 2011

Baredna, Cape Town

Baredna, Cape TownThis is a very interesting block of flats in Cape Town and not only beacuse of the name, Baredna. Is it Bar-Edna, Ba-Red-na or even Bare-DNA? No doubt the architect, Alexander Stewart Cruickshank, could tell us what the name meant when the flats were built in 1939.

Now let's look at some of the features of the buildng. Firstly, they are asymetrical because of the corner site allowing Cruickshank to place the place the windows cutting through the near-corner of the building.

Then we can see that the curved balconies on either side of the central tower were once open but now only one on the upper two floors remains so.

Baredna, Cape Town

The tower has two squared columns running up the section of glass bricks with three crossbands near the roofline.

Baredna, Cape Town

Interestingly the name is not rendered on the central tower but on the right section of the building between the conventional residential windows.

Steps, Baredna, Cape Town

Finally, a glimpse of some of the attention to detail with this little railing in the stairwell.

Reference:
Baredna Flat, Artefacts.com.za
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4 comments:

  1. HelsMarch 14, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    What a really lovely building.

    I am sympathetic to peoples' needs for extra rooms, so the closing-in of a balcony into a spare bedroom was sensible. But now the curved balconies on either side of the central tower should all be opened up again and returned to their original design.

    In Tel Aviv the town hall will help home owners with the renovation costs in Deco flats. So should Cape Town Council.

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  2. David ThompsonMarch 14, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    That sounds like a novel idea Helen. Rewarding people for restoring and maintaining their heritage properties.

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  3. AnonymousMay 21, 2014 at 5:23 AM

    I believe the name is a compound of the name of Barney Pinn and his wife, Edna - hence "Baredna". He was either the original developer or the first owner.

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