Ponte City Apartments
Ponte City
A 54-storey hollow cylindrical apartment tower on the Johannesburg skyline. Community tours take you into the central atrium and up to high viewpoints over the city.
Ponte City, completed in 1975, stands about 173 metres tall over 54 floors. It is one of Africa’s tallest residential buildings. Its hollow, cylindrical form and the giant billboard at the top make it an emblem of the Johannesburg skyline. The building went from luxury apartments to gang-controlled decline in the 1990s, before being renovated and revived, and it is widely seen as a microcosm of the city’s transformation. The community organisation Dlala Nje, based at the base of the building, runs tours. You can look up into the hollow central courtyard, enjoy views of Hillbrow and downtown from the upper floors, and visit nearby Berea and Hillbrow to learn about life in migrant communities. Do not wander the surrounding streets alone. Book an official tour with a guide, and travel there and back by Uber.
Opening hours
Guided tours by reservation; times set by the tour operator
Nearby sights
- Johannesburg Art Gallery
- Maboneng Precinct
- Constitution Hill
- Carlton Centre – Top of Africa
- Braamfontein & Neighbourgoods Market
- Nelson Mandela Bridge
- Origins Centre
- Johannesburg Zoo