The Community Center was originally the Observatory Girls School. It was designed by the Architect JOHN PARKER in 1902. 

 

John Parker was a prolific architect who designed many schools, hotels, churches and other significant buildings in Cape Town. One of his most famous buildings is the Great Synagogue in the Company's Gardens. 

 

John Parker was active in civic and church affairs. He became mayor of Cape Town in 1913 and was a founder member of the South African Society of Architects and the Cape Institute of Architects. Other schools deisgned by Parker or his firm (Parker and Forsyth) include the Rhenish School Stellenbosch, Sea Point Girls School, Sea Point Boys School, the South African College School (SACS), Hugenot School Wellington, and the Wynberg Girls School.

 

In the Observatory Girls School, Parker uses a combination of sandstone rustication and ornamental plasterwork, particularly around significant focal points such as the entrances and corners, an architectural device he frequently used in institutional buildings.

 

Parker was one of the first architects to use locally dressed table mountain sandstone as a building material. This is evident in the Observatory School. The School itself was designed as an urban school and intended to fit into a tight early twentieth century urban structure with an impressive frontage on Lowe Main Road. The long corridors, halls and high ceilings are similar to other local Victorian schools.

 

THE OLD JUNIOR SCHOOL

The long cheirshed objective of the Observatory Civics Association (OCA) and now the Observatory Community Centre, is the reclaim, on behalf of the community, the FORMER Observatory Junior School (situated next to the Observatory Community Centre). This building is currently occupied by the Metro Police Rapid Reaction Force.

 

This buiding was designed by Tully and Waters and built in 1897. Tully, who was a student of Sir Herbert Baker, was also responsible for the design of the Marsh Memorial Homes building and the Mowbray Town Hall.

 

 

There are many, many more stories to tell. If you have valuable information about the History of Obs, please email us, or contact us to come and scan in any photo's you may have or stories you've got.