GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The Old Residency is closed as restoration has commenced.
The former Residency, situated diagonally opposite Reinet House at the end of Parsonage Street, and forming a unique architectural complex with it, is a well-preserved example of the early 19th Century Cape Dutch H-shaped house.
The erf on which the house was built originally extended the length of the block to Middle Street.
The land was granted by the Colonial Government to the first owner, Willem Janssens, on December 30, 1801.
Within a few years it changed hands three times and was purchased by Johannes Gerber on November 26, 1819 for 9600 Gulden.
It would appear that this owner built the dwelling, for when he sold the property to William Thomas Brown on May 24, 1831 the price was “£600 sterling plus 24000 Cape Guilders”.
After 25 years he sold it to Arend Gysbert Liesching. Following his death in 1855 his widow subdivided the property and sold a portion to Charles Rubidge for £180.
The Old Residency is being restored.
Less than three years later, on February 1, 1859, the same purchaser acquired another portion, presumably that on which the house was built, for £1200.
It remained the Rubidge residence until the entire property was sold by his estate in 1913 to Dr John Liesching Rubidge.
The Government of South Africa acquired it on July 29, 1916 for use as the residence of the Magistrate, which it remained until 1978 when it was taken into use as an annex to Reinet House.
The building was declared a National Monument on June 8, 1962.
The restoration of the Old Residency was recently realised after the Graaff-Reinet Museum received a sizable grant of R1.6 million from The Rupert Historic Homes Foundation.
Labourers working on restoring the historic building.
The grant was allocated to the restoration of two early 19th century Cape Buildings, Urquhart House and the Old Residency, the renovation of the Military Museum, the installation of a closed-circuit television security systems in three buildings and the conversion of an underutilized room to serve as a digital library and archive.
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