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News Archive April 2011 Two worlds at Old Synagogue Station
| Two worlds at Old Synagogue Station |
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| Wednesday, 13 April 2011 |
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The Old Synagogue Station captures Joburg’s timelessness. The smart, angular modern station strikes a balance against the old, mystical place of worship.
The ebb and flow of the people through this Rea Vaya changes throughout the day
THE Old Synagogue Station on Wolmarans Street is relatively quiet, lending a different atmosphere compared to its peak-hour hustle and bustle.
Passengers from surrounding flats and shops walk next to the station,having just returned on the buses.
The Old Synagogue Station is separated into westbound and eastbound platforms, each adorned with the signature artwork of Rea Vaya depots. It is sandblasted on to the glass that surrounds the ultra-modern steel structures.
The stations are futuristic in design, comprising of ventilated roofs, pre-boarding automated ticketing systems and wheel-chair friendly access, amongst other features.
They have three main components – the base, platform and structure. The base and platform are made of a series of precast concrete culverts finished with a pigmented screed, and the structure has sloping steel pylons and a cantilevered roof. The stations' side screens are made from steel tubing and laminated safety glass panels.
Art work on the eastbound station is by Shannin Antonopaulo, and it reflects the cultural, religious and social aspects of this once mainly Jewish area. The dome of the Great Synagogue is clear to see in her work.
"This design intends to integrate these two places while incorporating patterns from other cultures, for instance Ethiopia, within them. Socially and culturally, the area, which was once affluent, now forms a part of the inner city and is home to many refugees from various African countries," Antonopaulo explains.
The Great Synagogue in Hillbrow was built in 1914
The westbound has artworks by Marco Cianfanelli. "The patterns evoke aspects of the urban environment, but more importantly, the combination of the figures and the abstract patterns suggest a sense of place within transience or a sense of transience within place," he says.
The brief given by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), which commissioned the artwork for all the stations, was to create a unique experience, reflecting the street life of the city, and the culture and heritage of the area surrounding the particular station.
At Old Synagogue westbound there is a large red cut-out. From a distance, the picture is clear; it is of people walking in the streets and of women carrying items on their heads.
Situated across from the Great Synagogue in Hillbrow, the station, according to Nombuso Qwabe, a marshal at the westbound side, are really busy during peak times, particularly in the afternoon rush hour. About 300 people a day pass through.
She says more people use the buses at this station in the afternoon because buses in both directions go into Soweto.
The modern station makes an interesting juxtaposition with the old synagogue; the angular station with the soft curves of the old building. The synagogue has a huge dome, with four smaller half domes. It was designed and built by Swiss architect Theophile Schaerer in 1914 on the border of Doornfontein, a predominantly Jewish area in early Joburg.
The large synagogue takes up a whole block, with its front facing Wolmarans Street; it is bordered by Claim, Quartz and Smit streets on its other three sides.
It seated over 1 400 people - 880 men and 550 women. Schaerer used the Byzantine Haggia Sophia mosque in Istanbul as inspiration for the Great Synagogue. The mosque was originally built as a Christian church in the sixth century, but when the Turks captured the city in 1453 it became a mosque.
The Great Synagogue was the third Johannesburg synagogue. The first synagogue was built on President Street in 1889 and was used as a community until 1926 when it was demolished. Before 1889, Jewish services were held in the Rand Club, the town's largest venue at that time, big enough to accommodate the 500 worshippers.
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