Joburg's Cosmopolitan Hotel: Then and Now

2Summers | 8 August 2016
johannesburg food shopping art restaurants history

The Cosmopolitan Hotel, at the corner of Commissioner and Albrecht Streets, is one of Joburg’s most legendary buildings. Built at the turn of the 20th century, the Cosmopolitan is big and Victorian, its columned, curly-cued cupola looming high above the street. The crumbling facade is strangely magical, like something from a Tim Burton film.

The Cosmopolitan, once a prominent gentleman’s club, was in a state of disrepair for decades, its lower-level windows bricked up to prevent trespassing. (Read more about the Cosmopolitan’s history here.) But there have been rumblings of change for a few years, especially since the Maboneng Precinct started sprouting up around the Cosmopolitan.

Now, the wait is over. The Cosmopolitan has been made over into a restaurant/retail/gallery space, and it’s officially open for business.

I was lucky enough to take some photos inside the Cosmopolitan in May 2014, when a soon-to-be-stalled renovation had just begun and the place was a complete mess. I’ve been sitting on these photos for two years, waiting for the renovations to finish so I can show the before-and-after. While the renovations aren’t 100% finished yet, I can’t wait any longer.

Outside the Cosmopolitan Hotel: 2014 and 2016

The front of the building looks more or less the same today as it did two years ago.

Cosmopolitan outside in 2014
The Cosmopolitan, May 2014.
Outside the Cosmopolitan, 2016
The Cosmopolitan, August 2016. I use a different camera/lens combination than a I did two years ago, which is why the proportions look different.
Cosmopolitan facade 2014

The Cosmopolitan facade, 2014.

Cosmopolitan facade, 2016
The
Cosmopolitan facade, 2016. The window bricks are gone and so is the graffiti.

The area behind the building has changed more substantially.

Old Cosmopolitan parking area
Behind the Cosmopolitan, 2014.
Behind the Cosmopolitan, 2016
Same view in 2016. The dilapidated walls have come down and the gravel parking lot is now a sculpture garden. One of those little white houses is about to become a coffeeshop/roastery called Firebird Coffee Works.
Cosmopolitan parking lot 2014
Wrecked parking lot, 2014.
Cosmopolitan garden, 2016
I didn’t always manage to capture the same angles. But you get the idea.
Jan van Riebeeck mural behind the Cosmopolitan
The now-famous Jan van Riebeeck mural, painted by street artists Gaia and Freddy Sam, behind the Cosmopolitan in 2014.
Jan van Riebeeck and Cosmopolitan sculpture garden
Jan van Riebeeck as he looks today.
Looking down from old Cosmopolitan
Looking down from a Cosmopolitan balcony, 2014.
Looking down from Cosmopolitan balcony, 2016
Quite a different view today.

Inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel: 2014 and 2016

The most dramatic changes have occurred inside the building.

Cosmopolitan staircase, 2014
The Cosmopolitan staircase in 2014.
Cosmopolitan staircase 2016
The staircase in 2016. I actually miss that pink paint a little bit.
Cosmopolitan upstairs entry hall, 2014
Upstairs entry hall, 2014.
Upstairs Cosmopolitan room 2016
I somehow forgot to take a photo of the new upstairs entry hall. But here is a room next door, displaying some interesting art. The new Cosmopolitan is being run by Jonathan Freemantle and Daniel Liebmann from Maboneng’s Hazard Gallery, and hence has a huge focus on art.
Upstair hallway at Cosmopolitan in 2014

Upstairs hallway, 2014.

Upstairs hallway at Cosmopolitan, 2016
Another upstairs hallway in 2016. Looks like they might keep the crumbling pink paint – yay.
Crystal Birch shop in Cosmopolitan
I don’t have a "before" photo for this, but this is one of the cool new shops inside the Cosmopolitan, by designer Crystal Birch.
Black Dog Clothing
Another shop called Black Dog Clothing. There’s the Black Dog owner, Dino Perotti.

The Cosmopolitan Bar: 2014 and 2016

I’ve saved the best for last.

Cosmopolitan bar, 2014
This was the Cosmopolitan Bar in 2014.
Cosmopolitan bar 2016
This, my friends, is the Cosmopolitan bar today.

The new Cosmopolitan bar is actually much more than a bar; it’s a restaurant owned by the same chef – Dario de Angeli – who runs Cube Tasting Kitchen in Parkhurst. I had a quick chat with Dario on Sunday and while I was too early for lunch, the scent from the kitchen was extremely promising. I cannot WAIT (rare use of all-caps here – totally necessary) to try this restaurant.

Old Cosmopolitan bar carvings
Closeup of the amazing lion carvings on the bar, pre-renovation.
Lions on Cosmopolitan bar in 2016
2016 bar lions.
Old Cosmopolitan bar
One more look at the old bar.
Moeketsi the Cosmopolitan barman
Moeketsi, the friendly new Cosmopolitan barman.

Did I mention that I can’t WAIT to try this restaurant? Oh yeah. I did.

There’s another whole half of the Cosmopolitan building that hasn’t been opened yet, and I’ve got before shots of that part too. I’m sure there will be a second before-and-after post – or, at the very least, a restaurant review – coming in the near future.