Work on post office ongoing

Work on post office ongoing Restoration of the historic Rissik Street Post Office is moving ahead, with an announcement expected soon on the bidder for the second phase.
THE second phase of the restoration of the Rissik Street Post Office is under way, with an announcement of a successful bidder expected shortly.

The facade of the building is intact but the windows are open to the weatherThe facade of the building is intact but the windows are open to the weatherMlungisi Shongwe, the executive manager of stakeholder management at the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), says that a single bid was received from the June tender call, and a “decision is imminent”.

It is hoped that the bidder will help raise funds for the restoration, which is estimated to be R350-million. The bidder would then lease the building from the City.

The second phase consists of sourcing additional funds for the restoration; appointing a construction company to undertake the work; and identifying potential users for the restored building.

“The City has an opportunity to preserve its most treasured heritage asset,” indicates a JPC report. The post office was declared a national monument in 1978, and is now a provincial heritage site.

Once the funding has been secured, the second phase will begin. Shongwe says that to date potential future use of the building has not been identified.

At 114 years, the historic building is one of the city’s oldest. It was reduced to its bare walls in a devastating fire in November 2009, ignited by vagrants living in the structure. A heritage consultant, a quantity surveyor and an engineer were appointed last year.

“The advices of the Heritage Consultant on board is that the first prize would be to restore the building to its pre-fire status but in order to make the building financially viable and functional for City purposes or alternative uses, the successful bidder would be required to obtain heritage approval for the alteration of the building’s interior during the re-development phase,” states the JPC report.

Restored roof
The first phase of restoration consisted of determining the extent of the damage, clearing the building of debris while preserving any material that might be used in future, and taking measures to protect it from the weather. The roof has recently been restored.

The clock tower is, however, open to the weather but will be waterproofed shortly. “Waterproofing the clock tower is in the pipeline and will be done once all the bill of quantities is completed by the quantity surveyor,” indicates Shongwe.

An insurance pay-out of R35-million is being finalised between the City and the insurer, Alexander Forbes.

Shongwe indicates that already R10-million has been spent in the clearing and salvaging phase. This means that only R25-million will potentially be paid by the insurer for phase two, far short of the required amount.

Security is in place at the building, to ensure no further damage is done, says Shongwe.

Heritage champion Flo Bird is concerned that the City should be the preferred occupier, in keeping with the structure’s traditional civic function, particularly as its neighbour is the City Hall, another civic building.

Shongwe says the JPC is happy with progress so far. “We have made substantial progress with phase one and implementation of phase two will commence once all socio-economic factors are addressed.”

The post office was designed by president Paul Kruger’s architect, Sytze Wierda, and is the only example of his work in the city. It is part of the civic spine, together with the City Hall and the central library.

A neighbouring building, the Barbican, has been beautifully restored, and its transformation highlights the derelict state of the post office.