Project justice . From entering the building , you are embraced by a feeling of being shot back in time with the original building lift , staircases that still have the shiny bronze trim , various stained-glass windows , many beautiful wooden features , and doors , and of course the sound your footsteps make as you pass over floors . You could almost image the bustle that would have been from years ago and the scurry to and fro in the passageways .
To preserve the original structure from further degradation , thick glass panes are installed in various positions such as these .
The original building lift still works perfectly too .
he is actively concerned about the wellbeing of his staff and suppliers / contractors alike .
Wapnick Snr , an ardent art lover too , also purchased all the furniture and photographs of the office of JG Heys ( No 3 Tudor Chambers ) as well as the counter of the maritime transport and insurance company which Heys undertook in the nextdoor office ( No 2 Tudor Chambers ). A museologist has restored the furniture and reconstructed the office in Alec Wapnick ’ s private gallery .
These rooms in the Tudor Chambers building were locked up for a number of years so that nobody actually knew about and were only again discovered during restoration . It was by coincidence that on getting a locksmith out to open the rooms up that they found these rooms to be the personal operational office of George Heys . They were still exactly as left many years before . All of the paperwork still lay in its place as well as all of the furniture , which had been untouched . The transfer of this piece of history is still on display today for guests to experience .
The building restoration started in 2008 for the City Property Group by Gapp Architects & Urban Designers . Nicholas Clarke of Archifacts acted as the heritage consultant to Cultmatrix on the project at the time .
Walking through a building like this is not something easy to translate . Photographs also don ’ t really do the correct
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I February 2022 41