Hillbrow Tower
| Telkom Joburg Tower | |
|---|---|
| Hillbrow Tower | |
Hillbrow Tower (right) with the Ponte Apartment building and the skyline of Hillbrow.
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Radio tower |
| Location |
Hillbrow, Johannesburg,  South Africa
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| Coordinates | 26°11′13″S 28°2′57″E / 26.18694°S 28.04917°ECoordinates: 26°11′13″S 28°2′57″E / 26.18694°S 28.04917°E |
| Construction started | 1968 |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Opening | 1971 |
| Cost | $10,000,000 |
| Owner | Telkom (South Africa) |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 269 m (883 ft) |
| Top floor | 204 m (669 ft) |
| References | |
The Hillbrow Tower (JG Strijdom tower) is a tall tower located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. At 269 m (883 ft), it has been the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 45 years, and it was also the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until 1978, when surpassed by the 270 m Mount Isa Chimney in Queensland, Australia. Construction of the tower began in June 1968 and was completed three years later, in April 1971. Construction cost 2 million Rand (at the time, US$2.8 million). The tower was initially known as the JG Strijdom Tower, after JG Strijdom, South African Prime Minister from 1954 to 1958. On 31 May 2005 it was renamed the Telkom Jo'burg Tower.
The tower was constructed for South African Posts & Telecommunications, which later became Telkom, South Africa's government run and the country's largest telecommunications company. As the general height of buildings rose in the central business district, it became necessary that the height of the new telephone tower stayed above the height of the buildings surrounding it.
The Hillbrow Tower has been closed to visitors since 1981, primarily due to security reasons. Before the closure, the Hillbrow tower was one of the largest tourist draws in Johannesburg. The public was able to enter six public floors at the top of the tower. One of the floors housed a popular revolving restaurant named Heinrich's Restaurant, as well as another non-rotating restaurant known as the Grill Room and the observation floor which was at 197 m height.
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