Tower of Ponte city in Johannesburg is a building that was once exclusively for whites Bashny.Net

    
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Tower of Ponte city — the tallest residential building in Johannesburg, which is one of the most striking attractions of the city. 54-story cylindrical skyscraper — the first of its kind building in Africa, has an unusual hollow inner core. Ponte city is decorated with the largest is the southern hemisphere. Completed in 1975, during the Apartheid era, it was the most luxurious residential building in Johannesburg, designed for white. The only black people who legally allowed to live in the bluff city are servants, who lived on the top floor with tiny Windows, devoid of any review. There were six penthouses equipped with wine cellars, saunas, patio and viewing platform on the roof. The first floor was placed the shops, hairdressers, a bowling alley and a venue for concerts. Some time it was a very popular place to live.



But in the early 1980s investment in the suburb dried up and the building fell into disrepair. The inhabitants of Ponte city moved out and by the 1990s the entire area was a slum. After the end of aparteida laws, the suburbs became home to the desperate refugees, criminals, drug dealers and prostitutes. Ponte city became a breeding ground for crimes. Its courtyard has become a place of dumping of garbage and suicide. After four decades of neglect, the yard was filled with debris five stories high. Fifty four million five hundred ninety seven thousand nine hundred nine



Since 2001 the building underwent major reconstruction. 1,500 residents were evicted and most of the floors were renovated with new electricity and sanitation. These days the building is occupied not by criminal gangs and brothels but by ordinary people, South Africans and immigrants, thanks to affordable prices. The building, which was once created solely for white people, now inhabited by more than 3,000 of the black population and around 12 white.



Source: lifeglobe.net/