Hillbrow Tower

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Hillbrow Tower

Hillbrow Tower (right) with Ponte Apartment building and the skyline of Hillbrow.

The Hillbrow Tower is a tall mast located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. Construction for the tower began in June of 1968 and was completed three years later in April 1971. Construction cost Rand 2 million (USD 330,000, though at the time around four million USD) and produced the 269 metre (730 feet) tower that stands today. The tower was initially known as the JG Strijdom Tower after JG Strijdom, the South African Prime Minister from 1954 to 1958.

The tower was constructed for what became Telkom, South Africa's largest telecommunications company. As the general height of buildings rose in the central business district, it was necessary that the new telephone tower had to stay above the general height of the tallest building.

[edit] Tourist attraction

The Hillbrow Tower has been closed for visitors since 1981 for security reasons. However, before the closure, the tower was one of the largest tourist draws in Johannesburg. At the top of the tower, above 131 metres, there were six public floors. One of them housed a revolving restaurant named Heinrich's Restaurant. There was another, non-rotating restaurant known as the Grill Room.

There is another TV tower in Johannesburg, the Sentech Tower.