By the end of the night I was in the street outside The Chalk
board – a coffee shop attached to The Bioscope - the
precinct's wonderfully independent cinema – talking
furiously and passionately to a collection of perfect
strangers who were quite happy to talk to me because I was
there and they were there and that's kind of what you do
when you are part of … a community …
But this is more than just an ode to the eclectic and delightful
social life of Maboneng. This is a serious look at what is
possible when you decide that the world is not quite shaped
the way you want it to be shaped. It's a look at what is possible
if you are willing to start hammering at the steel hardened soul
of a city in order to make it conform to a shape that you can
see in your head and desire with your whole heart.
When Jonathan Liebmann returned after spending some time
living overseas he could not ?nd anywhere in Johannesburg
that offered the lifestyle he wanted to live. Liebmann had lived
in some of the world's great cities – and during that time he
had come to love living 'in the heart of the city'.
But we all know that you don't live in the heart of a South
African city unless you have to, certainly not if you can afford
the high walls, the secluded gardens and the gleaming
pools of our plusher suburbs. We all know that. Jonathan
knew that. But instead of accepting it he decided that if what
he wanted did not exist then he was simply going to create it.
That's right, this man sometimes described as a hardass and a maverick wanted to live 'in the heart of the
city' and so decided to bend the city to his will in order
to make that happen. Indeed, there's steel at the heart
of this story.
It a story about a vision and a community and a growing
force for social good … but our story starts with a hard-ass
who won't take no for an answer.
Working with architect Enrico Daffonchio,Liebmannset
about ?nding buildings that had the qualities necessary for
industrial conversion. The ?rst buildings they found were
the 5 that now make up Arts on Main. From there the natural
progression was to expand and build a larger residential
component. As they see it the popularity o bF?W6R&W6?FV?F??????R7,:?6?RBF??P???R7,:?6?RBF??R?2f?7W6VB??Ww&F??rF?R??6?6??V?f?&???V?B?b?V&?W'2???6RF?R??6?6?V?f?&???V?B?0?&VV???&?fVB?F?Rf?7W2?26??gFVBF?7W'&?7V??F?R???F?F?fP??6?76?7B'?FV6???rB6??R?bF?R7,:?6?W2?B'&?v??p?v?&?6??2v?F???6?'F?7G2?7&V6?W27W'&V?F?76?7FV@???6?VFRF?R?GF?R&?6W27,:?6?R???'&V6?B7G&VWB?BF?P?????7,:?6?RBF?RG&F?F?????V?W'2r?&?WB?F?vW@???f??fVB??V6RV??à???V7&V6?VFF??Tv????6???76W2f?FFW2F?B?????W6'W&vW'2?fR&VV??V?w'??f?"F??2?fW7G??Rf?"6??RF??R????B????2???V?v?Wf?2F?R6???v?W"?bF?P?f?&V?V?F???VB?'BF?VG&R?6?R?2?6?F?R'&?@???vW"f?"?&??V?r?6?R?2F??2F?6?&?WBF?V? ?f?6???f?"F??2w&?v??r6???V??G????( ??W"f?6???f?"???FVw&FVBW&&???V?v?&?W&???B?2W??7FVB6??6RF?P?6??6WGV??6R?b???7G&VWB?fR??vWfW"?F?R66?R?bF?Rf?6????26??vVB?v?W&V0?&Vf?&RvRvW&RFWfV????r??'V??F??r'?'V??F??r&6?2???F?R7W'&?V?F??rwv?&?R&VrF?RG&V??2?W7Bv?GFV??&?vvW"?B&?vvW"???F?R7B?V"??W"&?W'G??'Ff????0?w&?v?F?#'V??F??w2v??6?v?????&RFWfV??VB??F?R?W?@?fWr?V'2?vRw&R?6?v?&???r????2F?6???V7B??F?P?&VFWfV???V?B???W2??F?R6?G???&R6??&V?V?6?fV??( ?'WB?2F?V?"?'Ff????BF?V?"f?6????2w&?v???66?P??B66?R??B?2?6?Wf??fVBF?&R&?WB6??WF???r??&P?F???W7B'&?6?2?B??'F"?B7FVV??6?2Wf?3??( ?Bv2GW&??rF?RFWfV???V?B?b'G2?????F?B???F???7F'FVBF?6??6?FW"f?6???f?"?V??v?FV?VB6???V??G??v?V?vR6?V??v?FV?VB6???V??G?vP??V??V?v?&?W&???B?bV??v?FV?V@?V??S?F??6Rv??&R??FW&W7FVB???ffV7F??r?6?F?fR6??vR?BF??6Rv???&R6??66??W2&?WBF?Rv?F?W??fR?( ?? ??4?%?$DR4?4??$Ud?Up???