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The history of Mutual Heights is as complex as its granite-faced exterior...
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Art Deco Masterpiece
Art Deco Masterpiece
Mutual Heights (formerly called the 'Old Mutual Building') is one of Cape Town’s most stunning works of architecture.
Located in Cape Town Central, it is a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture.
Since its opening in 1940, its structural majesty has retained its architectural magic.
The architects were Cape Town native Frederick McIntosh Glennie and the firm Louw & Louw.
Lead architects Wynand Henry Louw and Glennie travelled to Paris and America from 1933–34 to study skyscraper design. They wanted a building that represented the "dignity and strength" of the South African Mutual Life Assurance Society.
Inspired by the skylines of New York and Los Angeles, they decided Art Deco was the best fit for the company’s image, however, the building is embellished with features in other styles (such as neo-classicist in the case of the banking hall)
The commission began in 1936.
Building Opening
Building Opening
The building was completed in 1939 and opened early in 1940 with a great fanfare.
The local paper provided a 16-page supplement, and South African architects and dignitaries enthused about it.
In his definitive examination of the design of the building, Federico Freschi summarises the status of the building thus:
"Ultimately, the consensus suggests that the Old Mutual Building is at once a worthy monument to modern design principles and the consolidation of an important corporate and public image."
The skyscraper is constructed of reinforced concrete and faced with granite and marble.
Its ziggurat-style exterior and prismoid windows are both functional and visually striking.
Highlights when the building opened included:
Record Height: It was the tallest building in Africa when it opened
High Ceilings: Floors were separated by an average of 5m
Modern Tech: It featured water-cooled air conditioning and high-speed elevators
Mutual Heights (circa 1950)
Mutual Heights (circa 1950)
Vacating and Conversion
Vacating and Conversion
Within 20 years (in the late 1950s) Old Mutual began to vacate the building, moving in stages to new offices at Mutual Park in Pinelands, Cape Town.
By the 1990s, only assorted tenants remained, the last of which departed in May 2003.
At this time, conversion to residential occupation began under the direction of Robert Silke at Louis Karol Architects.
The name of the building was changed by the developers to Mutual Heights, a decision that did not find favour with all owners and residents involved in the new community.
Despite scepticism about the name, it is generally agreed that the conversion was the first in a series of projects that re-invigorated the central business district of Cape Town. The conversion has been the subject of a number of architecture and design awards.
In February 2012, the large "Old Mutual" sign on the east side of the building was removed, leaving little external evidence of the commercial origins of the building.
In 2015 Old Mutual Properties finally disposed of the remaining portions of the interior that had not been sold previously, including the banking hall, the directors suite and the fresco room.
Design Features
Design Features
Entrance Hall
Entrance Hall
Black, gold-veined onyx is used in the Darling Street foyer, the ceiling of which is over 15 metres high and finished with gold leaf.
Visitors must climb 17 steps to gain access to the banking hall, and towards the top they are met by the original "pill box" where security staff can observe who is entering and leaving the building.
Characteristic stainless steel trim and light fittings, such as can be seen here, are used extensively throughout the building.
Banking Hall
Banking Hall
The original Old Mutual banking hall has remained in it's orignial state, and is an example of "neo-classicism" although the light fittings echo the art deco theme that prevails elsewhere in the building.
The banking hall has been used to host numerous events, and has also been featured in numerous movies and TV commercials (see 'movie shoots' page)
African Tribal Sculptures
African Tribal Sculptures
Nine granite figures stand above the Parliament Street building frieze, representing the upper torsos of men from nine southern and east African ethnic groups.
Xosa (sic), Pedi, Masai, Matabele, Basuto, Barotse, Kikuyu, Zulu, and Bushman (sic).
Atrium
Atrium
The atrium extends from the roof of the banking hall to the very top of the main building. It was originally open to the weather, but it is now protected by a translucent roof, through which the tower can be seen extending even higher.
The circular windows visible here are incorporated into the apartments that now occupy the front of the building.
The Assembly Room
The Assembly Room
One of the best known features of the building (in artistic circles at least) is the Assembly Room, sometimes referred to as the "Fresco Room"
Here there are striking frescoes depicting some of the history of the nation of South Africa, undertaken by Le Roux Smith Le Roux two years after the completion of the building.
In 2016 the Assembly room was purchased for private use, and with the adjoining sections of the building it has been re-finished as private accommodation.
Elevators
Elevators
The original lifts in the building were fast ("the fastest in Africa" it was claimed when the building opened) and no expense was spared – even in the basement parking area, the lifts are trimmed with black marble.
Each door has an etched representation of an indigenous bird or animal from South Africa, with significant plants as additional decoration, or in some cases the corporate logo of the time.
As of 2024, three of the original six passenger lifts have been decommissioned, three modern lifts and the service lift have been installed, with care taken to preserve the heritage features of the original lifts.
Frieze
Frieze
Around the three sides of the building facing Darling Street, Parliament Street and Longmarket Street there is a 118 metre frieze, depicting scenes from the colonial history of South Africa, reported at its completion to be the longest such frieze in the world
The frieze was designed by Ivan Mitford-Barberton and sculpted by Italian immigrant Adolfo Lorenzi and four of his brothers.
Its fifteen sections feature a timeline of Cape Town’s colonization, wars, and emancipation of slaves, as well as the colonization of other parts of South Africa, Namibia, and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), missionary activities in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Tanganyika (Tanzania), and Arab resistance to Turkish attack in Kenya
Windows
Windows
The rising nature of the ziggurat mass of the exterior of the building is reinforced by the prismoid (triangular) windows, which extend up and down the height of the building.
These windows are of note because they set the Mutual Building apart from some of the buildings that inspired it, for example the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles.
They are also functional, because they allow light to enter the building more effectively than would otherwise be the case (using the reflective properties of the inside face of the glass), and by opening and closing blinds on the one side or the other it is possible on sunny days to manage the heat entering the building as the sun traverses the sky.
Historical Photos
Historical Photos
Mutual Heights Under Construction (circa 1938)
Mutual Heights Under Construction (circa 1938)
Darling Street (circa 1910)
Darling Street (circa 1920)
Wellington Fruit Growers Building before Mutual Heights
Building demolished to make way for Mutual Heights
Mutual Heights (circa 1950)
Mutual Heights (circa 1980)
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