ADAM TAS STREET, Dewetshof Named after the Dutch free burgher and community leader at the Cape, Adam Tas (1668-1722). He owned the wine farm Libertas in the Stellenbosch district.
ADRIANA STREET, Observatory Extension, and Linksfield Ridge Mrs. B. van Berkel, daughter of Mr. J. G. Kalkwarf, an associate in the township company, on 13 January 1966, said this street was named after Mrs. Louise Adriana Meischke, wife of the well-known Johannesburg builder.
AIDA AVENUE, Cyrildene, and Dewetshof Mr. S. R. Jones indicated on 19 August 1965 that there was some association with the opera of this name by Verdi.
BESSIE STREET, Observatory Extension Mrs. E. Reichman, formerly wife of one of the township-owners, J. Witkin, on 19 January 1963 stated that this street bears the name of the wife of J. H. Marais, the benefactor of the University of Stellenbosch. Mr. A. B. de Villiers, nephew of Mrs. Marais, confirmed this at Stellenbosch in February 1963. Mrs. Marais was financially interested in the township and her sister was the second wife of M. W. R. Lubbers, one of the township-owners. It is recorded in the Minutes of the Council dated 21 October 1924 (p. 80l) that this street name existed elsewhere in Johannesburg, but it was left unchanged.
CLERKE STREET, Observatory As this street is situated among those originally named in honour of astronomers, the assumption is that the English astronomer and scientific writer Agnes Mary Clerke (18421907) is honoured by this name. She was elected an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1903.
DE LA REY STREET, Observatory, and Bellevue East Presumably so named in honour of Gen. Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey, the Boer leader, born 22 October 1847 in Winburg, O.F.S. He fought in the wars of 1880-1 and of 1899-1902, served in the Transvaal Legislative Assembly in 1907-10, and was accidentally shot in Johannesburg by a policeman in search of the Foster gang on 15 September 1914.
DA GAMA STREET, Dewetshof Named after the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524) who found the way to India via the Cape of Good Hope.
DOORN STREET, Observatory Extension Presumably from the original Dutch farm name Doornfontein, meaning Thorn (Fountain). This was confirmed by Mrs. B. van Berkel on 13 January 1966.
EAST STREET, Cyrildene, and Observatory Extension No doubt this is a descriptive name as it is the most easterly street in the suburb of Observatory Extension. On 21 October 1924 the Council objected to this name because it occurred elsewhere in the town (Minutes, p. 801).
ECKSTEIN STREET (EAST), Bellevue, and Observatory Presumably named after the Eckstein family of Corner House. Hermann was born in Stuttgart in 1847, came to Kimberley in 1882, started the firm of Hermann Eckstein & Co. in Johannesburg in 1888, and was president of the Chamber of Mines in 1889-91. He died on 16 January 1893 at Stuttgart.
ELSA STREET, Cyrildene Mr. S. R. Jones, who named the streets, on 19 August 1965, stated that the street honours his wife, Elsa Jones. It has also been suggested that Elsa Williams is the Elsa of this street.
ERNA STREET, Observatory Mrs. C. M. Roorda stated on 24 July 1965 that this street was named after a daughter of M. W. R. Lubbers, who was concerned in the establishment of the township. Mrs. B van Berkel confirmed this on 13 January 1966 and said that she was Mrs. De Vos, and so did Mr. John Kalkwarf on 19 December 1966.
FOURIE STREET, Observatory No reference to the origin of the street name has been traced.
FRANCES STREET, Yeoville, Bellevue, Bellevue East, and Observatory Frances Margaret Agnes, born Becker, was the wife of William Rockey. She died on 18 December 1937, and her obituary refers to the fact that this street bears her name. The Rand Daily Mail of 17 October 1928 (p. 13) confirms this, and also Mr. M. F. SherwelI, son of the township-owner, T. Y. Sherwell, who adds that she was the wife of a brother-in-law of T. Y. Sherwell. The Star of 4 July 1961 quotes Mrs. Sara Stevenson as saying that the street was named after her grandmother Frances Becker who married William Rockey. The name occurs both as Frances and Francis in the records.
FRANCISKA STREET, Observatory Extension Mrs. C. M. Roorda wrote on 12 June 1965 to say that this street bears the name of Mrs. Franciska Margaretha Cornelia Kalkwarf, whose husband, the owner of the International Steam Laundry, was one of the first residents and a friend of M. W. R. Lubbers, who was concerned in the establishment of the township. Mrs. B. van Berkel, a daughter of Mr. J. G. Kalkwarf, confirmed this on 13 January 1966.
FREDERICK STREET, Observatory, and Extension It has been suggested that this street near Marist Brothers may possibly have been named after Rev. Brother Frederick who was Superior of Marist Brothers College when it was still in Koch Street, but no proof of the origin of the name has been found, and Frederick Eckstein seems more likely as the person after whom the street is named. He was born in 1857 and associated with the firm of Wernher, Beit & Co.
GASCOYNE STREET, Observatory Originally this street was called Kapteyn Street, presumably after the astronomer, Prof. J. C. Kapteyn of Groningen in Holland, who was a friend of Sir David Gill and measured photographs for star magnitudes, according to a Brief Sketch of the Life and Work of Sir David Gill, p. 5. Mr. R. Fryde and Mr. G. Bakker drew attention to the origin of this street name. The professor visited the site of the Johannesburg Observatory on 30 August 1905 when the British Association for the Advancement of Science came to Johannesburg. The Works Committee on 2 May 1922 agreed to change the name, because of the confusion with Kapteyn Street in Hillbrow, and the Council agreed on 15 June 1922 (Minutes, p. 309). Mrs. H. Ipp (born Cohen) on 14 January 1961 stated that Mr. J. Gassner and her father, Mr. Harry Cohen, were the earliest residents in this street, and when they complained about the trouble caused by the duplication of the street name, the municipality approved of Gascoyne as the new name. It was made up from a combination of Gassner and Cohen. Mr. Cohen in his letter to the Chairman of the Parks and Estate Committee dated 4 April 1922 suggested Hilltop Street as an alternative name if Gascoyne was not acceptable in place of Kapteyn.
GERARD STREET, Observatory Because of the Lorentz and Van Boeschoten association with the township, the suspicion is that Sir Johannes Gerard van Boeschoten is commemorated by this street name. The information supplied by Mr. John Kalkwarf on 2 January 1967 is to the effect that the Kalkwarf family firmly believes that Gerard Street in Observatory Extension was named after Johannes Gerhardus Kalkwarf, who was associated with the township in its early stages.
GILL STREET, Observatory This street bears the name of Sir David Gill, H.M. Astronomer at the Cape in 1879.
GRACE ROAD, Linksfield Ridge, Observatory, and Extension The suggestion has been made that this street bears the name of someone connected with Senator F. W. R. Robertson who was concerned in the establishment of the township, but it has not been possible to confirm this statement about the reason for giving the street a girl's first name.
INNES STREET, Observatory Named after the astronomor Robert Innes. Read more about him by CLICKING HERE
JUDITH STREET, Observatory Mrs. J. Devenish on 10 August 1965 stated that this street bears the name of Mrs. Judith Bezuidenhout, wife of the owner of the farm Doornfontein on which the suburb was established.
KLIP STREET, Observatory Extension It is assumed that this name refers to the stony nature of the ground and is descriptive.
KLOOF STREET, Observatory Extension It would seem that this is a descriptive name from the nature of the road leading up to Sylvia Pass. Kloof is Afrikaans for ravine.
LOUISE STREET, Observatory Extension Named after Mrs. Louise Adriana Meischke, whose husband had a financial interest in the township according to Mr. A. H. W. Blom and Mrs. B. van Berkel on 13 January 1966. On 21 October 1924 the Council objected to this street name because of duplication elsewhere (Minutes, p. 801), but it is still in use.
MONS ROAD, Bellevue, Bellevue East, and Observatory Formerly known as Schmidt Street this street was renamed in honour of the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914, according to The Star (15 August 1934), and Mr. A. N. Smith by letter on 14 October 1960. The old name appears on Tompkins' plan dated September 1890. Mons is situated in Belgium and was the scene of very heavy fighting between the British and the Germans in World War I.
OBSERVATORY This township was established on the farm Doornfontein in 1903 by the Reserve Investment Co., Ltd. and so named because of the Government Meterological Department to be established in the area, according to The Star, 28 June 1937. Theodore Reunert in his presidential address to the South African Association for the Advancement of Science in Johannesburg in 1905 (pp. iv-v of the Report) referred to the favourable reception of the petition presented to the Transvaal Government for the establishment of an observatory in Johannesburg. He also noted that the meteorological observatory under the direction of R. T. A. Innes on the most commanding position overlooking Johannesburg had given its name to one of the rising suburbs. He made mention of the liberality of the Bezuidenhout family in letting the observatory have ten and a half acres at a nominal cost, and noted that the area could not be obstructed by future building operations. The township was advertised in The Transvaal Critic of 30 October 1903, p. 618, and L. V. Praagh's' The Transvaal and its Mines, p. 256, states that Messrs. van Boeschoten and Lorentz (sic) owned Observatory in 1906. Some of the streets were given names with an astronomical flavour in anticipation of the proposed Observatory, according to The Star, 9 May 1936, p. 24. An application by the Observatory East Co. appeared in the Rand Daily Mail of 2 September 1924 in which permission was sought to establish the township of Observatory East on Doornfontein No. 24. Lubbers and Witkin were associated with the township according to a letter dated 19 January 1960 from Mrs. Sylvia Einstein. On 21 October 1924 (Minutes, p. 801) the Council objected to the establishment of the township because the area was unsuitable. The street names Ridge, Bessie, Louise, East, Short, Homestead and Sylvia were opposed because of duplication elsewhere, but they still appear on the plan today although the township itself had become Observatory Extension in the Valuation Roll issued by the Municipality in 1931 (p. 526). The owners retained the name of Observatory East Co., Ltd. The surveyors were H. J. E. Weber and Halberstadt, and the township was gazetted on 18 April 1928. By 15 April 1937, Esther Street had been closed. Observatory Extension No.3 was only a temporary name for Dewetshof Extension No.1 .
OBSERVATORY EXTENSION 3 Temporary name for second Council township on Doornfontein No. 24, according to the Council Minutes of 26 February 1946, p. 270. It became Dewetshof Extension No.1
OBSERVATORY AVENUE, Dewetshof, and Observatory The Bezuidenhout Estate Syndicate presented four morgen for the purpose of an observatory on condition that a road was made, according to the Minutes of the Council of 10 July 1903, p. 1839. It is described as an extension of Rockey Street, Bellevue East and is therefore Observatory Avenue. The name was, no doubt, given with direct reference to the observatory which was to be established on the site rather than because of the name of the suburb as is sometimes said.
OBSERVATORY CURVE, Bezuidenhout Valley In The United Transvaal Directory, 1908, it is listed as The Curve, but today it is generally known as Observatory Curve, Bezuidenhout Valley. The name refers to the shape of the road and the locality in which it is situated.
OBSERVATORY EAST see OBSERVATORY
OBSERVATORY PARK, Observatory This park is included in the Council's list of parks in 1910 and on 19 December 1939 (Minutes, p. 1708) the Council retained this name for the area, which it had decided to fence on 31 August 1920 (Minutes, p. 591). The name obviously refers to the suburb in which the park is situated.
OBSERVATORY RIDGE This name (used in The Star on 28 June 1937) was, no doubt, derived from the suburb in which the range of hills is situated.
OBSERVATORY SPRUIT This name, which occurs in the Minutes of the Council for 5 June 1919 (p. 274) was certainly applied to the stream because it flowed through the township of Observatory.
PARK STREET, Observatory Presumably a descriptive name as the street flanks a park.
PHILE STREET, Observatory Extension Mr. A. B. de Villiers on 6 February 1963 stated that this street bears the first name of his aunt, who was the second wife of M. W. R. Lubbers, the lawyer associated with the township company. She was known as Phile de Villiers before her marriage, and her proper name, according to Mr. John Kalkwarf on 19 December 1966, was Theophile.
REGENT STREET, YeoviIle, Bellevue, Bellevue East, and Observatory Mr. M. F. Sherwell stated on 18 July 1960 that this street was named after Regent Street, London, by his father, Mr. T. Y. Sherwell, the township-owner. The Regent to whom reference is made in the London Street, which dates from 1813-20, became George IV.
RIDGE ROAD, Mountain View, and Observatory Presumably a descriptive name.
ROBERTSON STREET, Observatory Extension On 8 February 1963 Mr. M. Spitz wrote to say that this street was no doubt so called because one of the original directors and shareholders of Observatory East Co. (Pty) Ltd., was a Mr. Robertson of Heidelberg. On 13 January 1966 Mrs. B. van Berkel, a daughter of Mr. J. G. Kalkwarf, confirmed this, and said it was Senator Frank (i.e. Francis William Reitz) Robertson (1878-1958) of 'Platkoppies' outside Heidelberg who took over Mrs. Bessie Marais's share in the company.
SHORT STREET, Observatory, and Observatory Extension This is in all probability a descriptive name. On 21 October 1924 the Council (Minutes, p. 801) objected to this name because it occurred in other suburbs.
ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, Observatory, Observatory Extension, and Dewetshof Mr. M. Spitz wrote on 8 February 1963 to say that this street was originally called Hill Street in Observatory Extension and that it owes its present name to the fact that it is a continuation of the street of this name in Observatory. The latter was so named, one assumes, in honour of the patron saint of England. The change of name noted by Mr. Spitz is recorded in the Minutes (p. 638) of the City Council of 24 July 1945. The residents petitioned for this change because it was a continuation from Louis Botha Avenue.
STEYN STREET, Observatory No reference to the origin of the street name has been traced and the possibility cannot be entirely eliminated that it bears the name of an employee or associate of the township-owners, Reserve Investment Co., Ltd., or of its secretaries Van Boeschoten and Lorentz. It has also been suggested that the name may be an error for Stone, as E. J. Stone, who became H.M. Astronomer in 1870 at the Royal Observatory, Cape Town, immediately preceded Sir David Gill, after whom a street in this area is named.
THE BEND, Observatory Presumably this is a descriptive name.
THE CURVE, see Observatory Curve
URANIA STREET, Observatory Presumably named after the muse of astronomy in Greek mythology because of the observatory in the vicinity.
WEST STREET, Observatory Extension Descriptive name because of the situation of the street.
YOUNG AVENUE, Houghton Estate, and Mountain View According to the Minutes of the Works Committee this street used to be St. John's Road (as it still is on the other side of Louis Botha Avenue), but because of complaints from the public, it was changed to Young Avenue. No reason was given, but the name probably honours H. A. Young, who was a Councillor from 25 October 1911 to 11 November 1915, and again from 25 October 1922 to 29 October 1924. He died in July 1943.
Source:Street Names of Johannesburg by Anna Smith, former City librarian, 1971
