Doornfontein is an
inner-city suburb of
Johannesburg,
South Africa, located to the east of the city centre,
Region 8.
History
The area, whose name means "thorn fountain", was originally the southern part of a farm owned by Frederick Jacobus Bezuidenhout, and was proclaimed a public diggings after the discovery of
gold on the
Witwatersrand in 1886. The suburb was laid out in the late 1880s by Thomas Yeo, and became the first residential suburb of Johannesburg. In 1897 the freehold of the suburb was bought by a company owned by the mining magnate
Barney Barnato
Barney Barnato (21 February 1851 – 14 June 1897), born Barnet Isaacs, was a British Randlord, one of the entrepreneurs who gained control of diamond mining, and later, gold mining in South Africa from the 1870s up to World War I. He is perha ...
, and the district became known as "Millionaire's Row".
Following the
Anglo-Boer War, many of the wealthier residents moved north to
Parktown, and Doornfontein, or "Doorie", became home to many
Jewish immigrants. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
large parts of Doornfontein were bought up by property speculators and turned into
slum
A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...
housing or "yards". These areas were cleared in the mid-1930s and became light industrial manufacturing areas.
Features
Large areas of Doornfontein are now occupied by the
Technikon Witwatersrand, which is now a part of the
University of Johannesburg,
Ellis Park Stadium and Johannesburg (Athletics) Stadium. The Johannesburg meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (
Quakers) has been situated at 3 Gordon Terrace since the late 1950s. The area had undergone substantial transport renewal in 2008 in preparation for the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in soccer, especially the introduction of a key route of the new rapid transit bus system.
Upgraded R77m train station unveiled
''IOL''
See also
*Braamfontein
Braamfontein (English: ''blackberry spring'', or more prosaicly ''blackberry springs''; also known as Braam) is a central suburb of Johannesburg, in South Africa, seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and some of South Africa's major c ...
*New Doornfontein
New Doornfontein is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the lo ...
References
* Musiker, N. & R., 2000. ''A Concise Historical Dictionary of Greater Johannesburg'', Francolin Pubs., Cape Town, South Africa.
Johannesburg Region F
Jews and Judaism in Johannesburg
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