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1963 to 2026
Carlton Centre History
For 46 years Carlton Centre was the tallest building in Africa. This is how it was planned and built, what happened to the Carlton Hotel, and how the building reached its 2020s story of empty office floors, a busy mall and a new sale.
Carlton Centre timeline
- 1963: Project announced on 24 November 1963.
- 1967: Construction starts.
- 1972: Carlton Hotel opens on 1 October 1972.
- 1973: Carlton Centre officially opens on 1 September 1973.
- 1974: The complex is completed.
- 1997–1998: Carlton Hotel closes: the main tower in December 1997 and the Carlton Court annex in April 1998.
- 1999: Transnet buys the centre from Anglo American, reportedly for about R33 million, and later uses it as its head office.
- 2001: Transnet’s head office is based in the Carlton Centre during its first years of ownership.
- 2004: SARS moves its Johannesburg branch into more than 5,000 m² at the centre (it has since left).
- 2007: Transnet announces plans to sell; the sale stalls during the global financial crisis.
- 2014: The centre remains Transnet’s head office and a working CBD mall.
- 2016–2017: The former ice rink on the parkade roof is converted into Sky Rink Studios, a TV production hub.
- 2018: About 1,440 Transnet staff move to Midrand, meant as a temporary move for a revamp that did not happen.
- 2019: The Leonardo in Sandton overtakes Carlton Centre as Africa’s tallest building in April.
- 2020: Top of Africa, the 50th-floor viewing deck, is reported closed from the March 2020 lockdown.
- 2023: Transnet offers the centre for sale; the sale does not go ahead.
- 2024: Transnet says it will refurbish rather than sell. Shoprite opens in the former Pick n Pay space in December.
- 2026: On 24 August 2026 Transnet puts Carlton Centre up for sale again with other non-core properties.
How Carlton Centre was built
The land was assembled by South African Breweries and Anglo American Properties, and Anglo American drove the development. Construction began in 1967. The plan combined a 50-storey office tower, a hotel, an underground shopping arcade of about 160 shops and a parkade for roughly 2,000 cars, making it one of the most ambitious mixed-use projects of its time in South Africa.
Architecture and design
The American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the complex, with Gordon Bunshaft associated with the project, working with the local practice Rhodes-Harrison Hoffe & Partners. The tower rises 223 metres over 50 storeys. It was the tallest building in Africa from 1973 to 2019 and briefly the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere. More detail is on Carlton Centre architecture.
Carlton Hotel history
The Carlton Hotel opened on 1 October 1972 as one of Johannesburg’s grand hotels. Sources differ on its size, reporting 600 to 670 rooms over 30 or 31 floors. As business moved to the northern suburbs, the main hotel closed in December 1997 and the Carlton Court annex followed in 1998. The building has stood empty since. Read more on Carlton Centre hotel history.
Historic attractions and facilities
Two features made Carlton Centre a destination as well as an office block. Top of Africa, the viewing level on the 50th floor, drew tourists for decades. The Sky Rink ice rink on top of the parkade was later redeveloped into Sky Rink Studios, a television production facility of about 2,400 m². These are historical facilities: Top of Africa’s current access is unconfirmed, and the ice rink no longer operates as a rink.
Carlton Centre today
In 2025 the Financial Mail described a brightly lit, busy shopping mall below a largely empty tower with a skeleton Transnet crew. The mall still trades with anchor tenant Shoprite and national brands, and in August 2026 Transnet put the centre up for sale again. For a practical visit, head to Carlton Centre shops, Carlton Centre restaurants or directions to Carlton Centre.
FAQs
When was Carlton Centre built?
Construction began in 1967, the centre officially opened on 1 September 1973, and the complex was completed in 1974.
Who designed Carlton Centre?
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed it, with the local firm Rhodes-Harrison Hoffe & Partners.
What happened to the Carlton Hotel?
It opened in 1972 and closed in 1997–1998 as business moved out of the CBD. The hotel building has been empty since.
Why is Carlton Centre historically significant?
It was Africa’s tallest building for 46 years, one of Johannesburg’s first large mixed-use complexes, and a symbol of the CBD’s rise, decline and renewal.
Visiting the Carlton Centre today?
The mall is still trading. Plan your trip with the shops directory and directions.
Last checked: 13 September 2026. CarltonCentre.co.za is an independent visitor guide. It is not operated by, or affiliated with, Transnet, Transnet Property, Carlton Centre management or the brands listed. Details were checked against the sources named on each page on 13 September 2026; confirm time-sensitive details with the store or organisation before you travel.