Golden Acre, Modern skyscraper in Foreshore district, Cape Town, South Africa.
Golden Acre is a shopping mall on the corner of Adderley and Strand Streets in Cape Town's central business district, built in 1979 by Sanlam on the site of an old train station. It holds over 65,000 square metres of retail space and around 800 parking bays, and has not been modernised for many years. Tenants as of July 2020 included Ackermans, Shoprite and Mr Price.
Golden Acre stands on the site of Cape Town's first railway station, and Sanlam built the mall there in 1979. Excavations in 1975 uncovered the northern end of the Nieuwe Bak, a rectangular masonry reservoir of 1663 ordered by governor Zacharias Wagenaer to supply clean water to residents and passing ships. In 1671 Wouter Mostert added a canal from the dam to the quay so sailors could fill barrels at the ships.
Golden Acre takes its name from the Afrikaans Goue Akker. The remains of the 1663 Nieuwe Bak reservoir and the 1671 canal built by Wouter Mostert are preserved inside the mall as historical exhibits. Tenants in 2020 included Ackermans, Shoprite and Mr Price.
The building is well connected to public transport, as it links directly to the train station with several bus lines nearby. Visitors should expect crowded conditions during peak hours, particularly in the afternoon and early evening.
Excavations in 1975 during construction uncovered the northern end of a rectangular stone reservoir built in 1663, known as the Nieuwe Bak or Wagenaer's Tank, which held 700,000 litres of water from the Vars River. In 1671 Wouter Mostert added a canal from the dam to the quay so sailors could fill barrels at the ships. The remains of the dam and canal are preserved as historical exhibits inside the mall.
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