SA-tirist: Merchants

The Beginnings

Cape Town was established in 1652, when the first Dutch settelers arrived, led by Jan van Riebeek. The original structure for Merchants on Long was built not long after this. Inside you can see the original ‘koffie klip’ (coffee stone) wall’s made out of slate taken directly from Table Mountain, this dates the building back to then, around 350 years ago, when it was a very simple single story detached shop.

Merchants on Long is located on Long Street, which was originally known as ‘De Derde Berg Dwars Straat,’ (The Third Road Parallel to the Mountain.) It was not until the 1790’s that it took on it’s now famous name.

As Cape Town prospered, a second storey was added to the existing buildings and then later still, Victorian shopfronts replaced the ground floor facades and fashionable cast-iron verandahs were added. In many instances the familiar buildings of upper Long Street remain in this state, their interiors complete with beamed yellowwood ceilings, stinkwood and yellowwood panelled doors, together with other details showing their origins.”[1]

We are not sure why Merchants was originally built by the Dutch but in the slate stone walls we found and excavated two Victorian redbrick arched recesses and an Edwardian arch, which we believe to be details remaining from a Romanesque style bathhouse, which it could have been used for at a later point sometime between 1850 and 1870.

Shortly after this, losing some of it’s bacchanalian flair the building went on to become known as Gibson’s when the family of the same name commissioned architect Anthony de Witt to erect a terracotta façade on it. Some believe he built it himself after being inspired by a similar building he saw on a trip to New York, on which he might have based his design.

For several reasons, including that terracotta wasn’t readily available in South Africa at the time, it is more likely that de Witt imported the entire façade from the United Kingdom and re-erected it on the front of the Merchants on Long building when it arrived in Cape Town in 1903 (seven years after it was first built.)

De Witt did have connections with the American firm Millikins who supplied steel framework for buildings in Cape Town– perhaps including that for Gibsons. Inside you can still see the steel pillars, which give support to the structure of the Merchants building.

There is also an original Majolica in the Merchants entrance which bears the ‘T. Gibson & Co.’ name the shop originally carried. Victorian Majolica originated in 1851, but this example would most likely have been created sometime between 1875 and 1901, when Queen Victoria died Majolica creation was superseded by Art Nouveau.

Desiree Picton-Seymour, the leading South African architectural historian describes the Merchants building in several of her books, in ‘Historical Buildings in South Africa’ she says

“Just above Strand Street is a small building of particular interest, the terracotta faced Gibsons, dated 1896. It’s design was based on a similar building in New York, following a visit to the USA by architect Anthony de Witt who had connections with an American firm, Millikins, who supplied steel framework for buildings – including that for Gibsons.”

In ‘Victorian Buildings in South Africa’ Picton-Seymour goes on to describe Merchants as “Undoubtedly the best example of Art Nouveau architecture still left in Cape Town.’

The Acquisition and Restoration of the Building

When we acquired the Merchants on Long building it was an art gallery. It had a low false ceiling and dry-walling which we removed to reveal the original slate and an almost perfect Oregon Pine timber beamed ceiling. There were one or two beams missing which we managed to replace with original beams from the same time period.

The Art Nouveau influence is clearly stated on the delicately sculpted steel inserts on the front door. We took inspiration from this detail and commissioned a full size security door to be made in the same style.

Another important project we took inspiration from and restored was the staircase. Replicating what remained of the original staircase (a few balustrades) we built a new wooden staircase to fit into the building.

The Merchants building has been an incredibly special project to work on as the place holds such a special place in so many Capetonian’s hearts. It has had an incredible history thus far and we hope it will continue to long into the future.

Merchants on Long Timeline

1652 – Jan Van Riebeek founds Cape Town

1652-1700 – Merchants on Long is built out of Koffie-Klip (coffee stone) slate sourced from Table Mountain

1674 – The Castle of Good Hope (Cape Town Castle) is built, also out of Koffie-Klip slate

1790 – Long Street changes it’s name from ‘De Derde Berg Dwars Straat’ (The Third Street Parallel to the Mountain) to ‘Long Street.’

1800 – 1830’s – Cape Town and Long Street begins to prosper and business owners, including Merchants on Long add 2^nd stories to their buildings

1850-1870 – Merchants on Long is most likely being used as an exclusive Romanesque style Bath House

1852 – The British take control of Cape Town and as a result Victorian influences become more widespread

1875 – 1901 Merchants on Long is taken over by the Gibson family. They commission an original Majolica inlay for the entrance

1896 – The terracotta façade for the Merchants on Long building is built, in the United Kingdom and then shipped to Cape Town

1896 – 1903 Under the direction of the Gibson family the architect Anthony de Witt erects steel supports within the Merchants building

1901 – Queen Victoria passes away and the Victorian era comes to an end, Art Nouveau influences become more widespread

1903 – The terracotta façade arrives in Cape Town and is put on the front of the Merchants on Long building

1900 – 1970 Merchants on Long operates as a high-end department store

1970 – 1998 Merchants on Long is owned by Mujahid Gamiet Associates

1998 – 2010 Merchants on Long is home to several businesses including a men’s suit store and an Art Gallery 34 on Long which can now be found the Hills Building, Buchanon Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock

2010 – Merchants on Long re-opens it’s doors as South Africa’s first salon store of it’s kind

[1] Historical Buildings in South Africa. Desiree Picton-Seymour. Struikhof Publishers. 1989.