Bank of Lisbon: The Implosion of a Jozi SkyScraper

Yesterday morning I watched the Bank of Lisbon Building, a 31-storey tower in downtown Joburg, fold inward on itself and collapse to the ground in a cloud of dust.

The Bank of Lisbon building behind the Joburg City Library
The burned-out shell of the Bank of Lisbon Building stands behind the Joburg City Library at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The Joburg City Library
Ninety minutes later the library stands alone, sprinkled with a layer of dust.

I photographed the implosion from just under three blocks away, on the eighth floor of Corner House – one of Joburg’s oldest and most iconic buildings – while peering through the porthole-shaped window of a turret with a giant jacuzzi tub in it.

On Top of Joburg at 120 End Street

Nothing beats watching the sunset from a Joburg rooftop.

Downtown Joburg from 120 End Street
Looking down at the crazy evening traffic from the roof of 120 End Street.

On Sunday evening, Mark Straw from the Joburg Photowalkers organized a rooftop mission for all of the photographers who contributed their pictures to the recent #JoziWalks weekend. We drove together to 120 End Street, a 26-story residential building in the middle of the CBD, and spent the evening taking pictures there.

Art Deco Hunting on the Wild, Wacky East Rand

In February 2012 I went on a tour of Art Deco architecture in the East Rand, organized by the Joburg Photowalkers. I have fond memories of that tour – I loved getting to know this far-flung part of Joburg that I had never visited before. The East Rand was quirky and weird and I liked it. (Read my post about the 2012 tour.)

Braai Day Photowalk in Kensington

After my last post, the Joburg Expat informed me that Heritage Day in South Africa is also “National Braai Day”. I can’t believe I didn’t make this connection sooner, as this is my third Heritage Day in South Africa. Anyway, I like this concept; it reminds me of Memorial Day back home. (Dear Americans: Braai means barbeque in South Africa.)