The answer to this is very simple, We love Jozi simply because it is the place of innovation. It is here, within Johannesburg that we see actual change in our rainbow nation. Business are booming in every way. Commercial spaces are filled, apartments are bought and old dilapidated buildings are bought and remade in the image of a brighter future.
The reviving of Johannesburg can truly be seen as a miracle, we can once again start thinking of Jozi as everyones city.
This miracle however doesn’t come without its own obstacles, but the gist is that Johannesburg is not the ugly nasty no-go place it once was. It has, and is growing into what she should be, a city to be truly proud of, a city you that captures your imagination and releases hidden inspiration.
Maboneng Precinct, is a neighborhood that has contributed greatly to this changes. It is with great vision that Maboneng has changed from a complex light industrial area to a neighbourhood of interaction and community. It has become the neighborhood for change. Liebmann (the Founder and CEO of Propertuity) has created Maboneng without municipal resources. This in itself is a remarkable achievement, I say this because reviving old neighborhoods and lost cities isn’t a new idea, but usually they require some municipal help. Instead Liebmann looked at the younger market, a market that felt lost in the suburbs and that yearned for a beacon, an ideal for us 20-something year olds to strive for, a sense of our own growing community in a innovative, creative and safe space. In which the 20 something market are the soul of the idea.
It is for this reason that Maboneng was chosen, the place of light. It has truly developed into a diverse and vibrant neighborhood. The community of Maboneng with all its temporary and permanent residents are working together to make this small area in Southern Johannesburg their own.
Maboneng offers amazing social and public spaces for all purposes. It is with Liebmann and Daffonchio & Associates that each space is designed and built to create as much interaction between the people, the building and the surrounding environment. Propertuity has taken the approach of getting shops on the streets, getting people to walk and to discourage the 1980’s architectural lifestyle of living, working and playing separate. Instead Maboneng promotes itself on the fact that you as a resident can live, play and work all in the same space, walking distance apart from each other.
Maboneng is home to Art’s on Main, The Main Change, Maverick Corner, Curiosity Backpackers, Bioscope, Pop Art theatre, Poolside Cafe (Yes. A pool.), Open, MOAD and many more residential spaces.
Residential Spaces
Most of the residential spaces such as Main Street life, Revolution House, Artisan Lofts and Urban Fox are primary residential buildings with some commercial shop on the ground floor. The apartments sizes and styles varies between these buildings.
Main Street Life has a minimalist contemporary style with the majority of apartments being bachelor’s units (33 sqm) and Penthouses on the top floors.
Revolution House has a double volume ceilings that fits her industrial feel well. Revolution House has medium size apartments (40-60sqm) with Penthouses on the fourth floor and roof top units on the fifth, giving a breathtaking view of the city.
Artisan Loft has just recently been completed with an urban chic style, this building however wins the prize for best view of the city within the Maboneng neighbourhood. The apartments range from medium size to penthouse size apartments.
Urban Fox is still in development with large size breathtaking apartments. For now these are the buildings available to rent from, however there are several more residential buildings being developed by Propertuity as we speak.
Commercial Spaces
The commercial scene of Maboneng is growing with every new development. Every building is designed to have shop fronts on the ground floor and then also the neighbourhood has dedicated space for shops only. If you are interested in opening a shop within Maboneng consider renting a space in Maverick Corner or the Main Street Bazaar. Both these dedicated commercial spaces have very interesting shops, from an internet cafe to fashion designers. Maboneng is also home to many restaurants such as, Blackanese, Pata Pata, Chalkboard Cafe, Little Addis, they are but a few to mention. We even have Smack Brewery with us.
The diversity within Maboneng is shown through the commercial spaces, if you have not yet been here, then you should come on a Sunday and have your eyes opened.
Office Spaces
The Main Change is currently the only dedicated building within Maboneng for dedicated office space. the officeS range from extremely small to massive. If you however feel you don’t need a dedicated office but want to be part of the vibe then you can always consider the OPEN. It is an open space work environment. Truly perfect in design, you will WOW your clients, no questions asked.
Maboneng as our neighbourhood
Maboneng has had a humble start, but over a few years this dream of Jonathan Liebmann has grown into a remarkable success. Maboneng has strived on its artist, it has strived on its innovation and this we can see with the absolute remarkable 20% investment growth roughly per annum. It is THE place to be, it is here that you can live, work and play all together in one space all walking distance from each other. The community of Maboneng is here to stay with innovations of establishing a City Improvement District (CID) and cooperation with establishments such as Grind.
The purpose of Maboneng is not to create a small island, but rather to create a neighbourhood in which all can feel welcome.