Absa Towers Main – 160 Main Street, Johannesburg CBD

Aerial view of Absa Towers Main, the prominent 30-storey office tower at 160 Main Street in the Johannesburg CBD. Rising approximately 140 metres above the inner city, the tower is a long-standing landmark on the Johannesburg skyline and forms the centrepiece of the Absa campus. The building was completed in 1970 and was originally developed as a major banking and commercial office tower.

The photograph captures the tower carrying the distinctive Absa branding, surrounded by the dense commercial fabric of central Johannesburg. The wider view includes the city’s extensive network of office buildings, retail and industrial properties, major transport infrastructure and the evolving urban landscape of the eastern CBD.

By the time this photograph was taken, Absa Towers Main was undergoing a major transformation. After being vacated and stripped out by Absa, the property was sold to Divercity Urban Property Fund for redevelopment as a mixed-use precinct. The R400-million-plus redevelopment was planned to introduce residential accommodation, office space, retail and communal facilities, forming part of a wider inner-city regeneration strategy linking the Absa precinct with Jewel City and Maboneng.

 

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