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31-613: Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobblestoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighbourhood, and 56.9% of its population identify as Muslim . According to the South African Heritage Resources Agency , the area contains the largest concentration of pre-1850 architecture in South Africa, and is the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town. In 1760 Jan de Waal bought

62-538: A block of land at the foot of Signal Hill, between Dorp and Wale Streets. A year later he obtained an adjacent parcel, extending his holding to Rose/Chiappini/Shortmarket Street. Starting in 1763, de Waal built several small “huurhuisjes” (rental houses) on this land, which he leased to his slaves. The first three are at 71 Wale Street (now the Bokaap Museum), above Buitengracht Street, and 42 Leeuwen Street respectively. Skilled Muslim labourers called Mardijkers moved to

93-532: A group of prominent citizens, with the support of the Historical Monuments Commission. In 1966 a portion of the area was designated as a National Monument. From 1971 the City Council began restoring houses and streetscapes, with 48 units completed by 1975. As a result of Cape Town's economic development and expansion, and after the demise of forced racial segregation under apartheid , property in

124-477: A road to be heavily used all year long. It prevents the build-up of ruts often found in dirt roads . It has the additional advantage of immediately draining water, and not getting muddy in wet weather or dusty in dry weather. Shod horses are also able to get better traction on stone cobbles, pitches or setts than tarmac or asphalt. Cobblestones set in sand have the environmental advantage of being permeable paving , and of moving rather than cracking with movements in

155-482: A sett is distinct from a cobblestone by being quarried and shaped into a regular form, while cobblestones are naturally occurring forms less uniform in size. It has been used across various cultures for millennia, particularly in Europe, and became especially prominent during the medieval and early modern periods. Today, cobblestone streets are often associated with historic preservation and are used in many cities to maintain

186-503: A type of front terrace with a bench at each end emphasizing the polarizing aspect of Cape Muslim culture. The museum exhibits the lifestyle of a prosperous 19th-century Cape Muslim family along with black-and-white photographs of daily life in the area. Cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble -sized stones, and is used for pavement roads , streets, and buildings. Setts , also called Belgian blocks, are often referred to as "cobbles", although

217-799: Is also a cluster of cobblestone buildings in the Town of Paris , Ontario . In addition to homes, cobblestones were used to build barns, stagecoach taverns, smokehouses, stores, churches, schools, factories, and cemetery markers. The only public cobblestone building in the US is the Alexander Classical School , located in Alexander, New York . Cobblestone may not be accessible for disabled people, particularly wheelchair users. Wheelchair users and other disabled people may opt to avoid streets and sidewalks made with cobblestone. Some European cities, such as Breda in

248-576: Is known as a "causey", "cassay" or "cassie" in Scots (probably from causeway ). In the early modern period , cities like Paris, London, and Amsterdam began to pave their streets with cobblestones to manage the increased traffic from carts, carriages, and pedestrians. Cobblestones were largely replaced by quarried granite setts (also known as Belgian block ) in the nineteenth century. Cobblestoned and "setted" streets gradually gave way to macadam roads and later to tarmac , and finally to asphalt concrete at

279-693: The Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian styles was built for the expanding population of tradesmen, craftsmen, and artisans. In 1804 the Tana Baru Cemetery was established to serve the Muslim families. More Muslims continued to move into the area, including a wave of political exiles from Java and Ceylon circa 1820. After the emancipation in 1834 and the arrival of liberated slaves, developers constructed numerous rows of narrow, deep huurhuisjes. The brightly coloured facades are attributed to an expression of freedom by

310-542: The Netherlands , have tried to preserve their historic aesthetic while also making cobblestone pavement more accessible for disabled people by slicing the cobblestone to be flat on the surface. The United States Access Board does not specify which materials a sidewalk must be made of in order to be ADA compliant, but does state that "cobblestones can significantly impede wheelchair movement" and that sidewalks must not have surface variances of greater than one inch. Due to

341-565: The 1980s, but are still found in the Distillery District . Many cities in Latin America, such as Buenos Aires , Argentina ; Zacatecas and Guanajuato , in Mexico ; Old San Juan , Puerto Rico ; Vigan , Philippines ; and Montevideo , Uruguay , are well known for their many cobblestone streets, which are still operational and in good condition. They are still maintained and repaired in

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372-503: The Bo-Kaap has become very sought after, not only for its location but also for its picturesque cobble-streets and unique architecture. Increasingly, this close-knit community is "facing a slow dissolution of its distinctive character as wealthy outsiders move into the suburb to snap up homes in the City Bowl at cut-rate prices". Inter-community conflict has also arisen as some residents object to

403-523: The Bo-Kaap was larger than its current extent. During Apartheid , the area was not bulldozed, unlike nearby District Six , however non-Malay residents were forcibly removed in accordance with the Group Areas Act , in an effort by a sympathetic apartheid government official ( I. D. du Plessis ) to preserve the Malay character of the area. Preservation of the area began in 1943 when 15 houses were restored by

434-626: The Cape from Southeast Asia and lived in the Bo-Kaap. Because the aboriginal tribes in the Cape Colony area resisted the Dutch, slaves were initially imported from Malaysia, Indonesia and different parts of Africa, hence the name “Malay”. Most of the new residents were Muslim , and several mosques were built in the area. The first one was Auwal Mosque, in Dorp Street in 1794. Between 1790 and 1825 more housing in both

465-943: The Golden Acre shopping centre, the Cape Town railway station , the Lutheran Church in Strand Street , the Koopmans-de Wet House , and the Castle of Good Hope . Originally, in the vicinity of the Castle, Strand Street ran along the Table Bay shore - " strand " being the Dutch and Afrikaans word for "beach" - but land reclamation to create the Foreshore and the modern Port of Cape Town has moved

496-543: The National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999). Objectives of the Heritage Zone include conserving the Bo-Kaap heritage by encouraging owners to retain and rehabilitate the existing residential buildings; ensuring new developments in the area complement existing landscape; and promoting social and cultural traditions in the area. The museum, whose building dates back to the 1760s, is the oldest house in

527-491: The accessibility challenges of cobblestone, the Federal Highway Administration recommends against the use of cobblestone and bricks in its accessibility guide for sidewalks and crosswalks. Strand Street Strand Street is one of the main streets in the central business district of Cape Town , South Africa. It runs northwest-southeast through the centre from Green Point to Woodstock , passing

558-403: The area still in its original form. It highlights the cultural contribution made by early Muslim settlers, many of whom were skilled tailors, carpenters, shoe makers and builders. It contains 19th century furnishings which include a fine Cape drop-leaf dining table, Cape Regency-style chairs and a bridal chamber decorated to match the bride's dress. The museum is distinguishable by its voorstoep,

589-451: The beginning of the 20th century. However, cobble­stones are often retained in historic areas, even for streets with modern vehicular traffic. Many older villages and cities in Europe are still paved with cobblestones or pitched. With the advent of asphalt and concrete in the 20th century, the use of cobblestones declined. These newer materials were cheaper and easier to install, leading to

620-472: The cobblestones also clarify that the area is more than just a normal street. The use of cobblestones/setts is also considered to be a more "upmarket" roadway solution, having been described as "unique and artistic" compared to the normal asphalt road environment. In older U.S. cities such as Philadelphia , Boston , Pittsburgh , New York City , Chicago , San Francisco , New Castle , Portland (Maine) , Baltimore , Charleston , and New Orleans , many of

651-515: The ground. The fact that carriage wheels , horse hooves and even modern automobiles make a lot of noise when rolling over cobblestone paving might be thought a disadvantage, but it has the advantage of warning pedestrians of their approach. In England, the custom was to strew straw over the cobbles outside the house of a sick or dying person to dampen the sound. In rural areas, cobblestones were sometimes used to pave important roads, particularly those leading to and from major cities. In England, it

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682-521: The historical character of certain neighborhoods. During the medieval period , cobblestone streets became common in many European towns and cities. Cobblestones were readily available, as they were often naturally occurring stones found in riverbeds and fields. Their rounded shape made them easy to lay, and their durability was well-suited to the needs of growing urban centers. Cobblestones are typically either set in sand or similar material, or are bound together with mortar . Paving with cobblestones allows

713-460: The last ice age left numerous small, rounded cobblestones available for building. Pre-Civil War architecture in the region made heavy use of cobblestones for walls. Today, the fewer than 600 remaining cobblestone buildings are prized as historic locations, most of them private homes. Ninety percent of the cobblestone buildings in America can be found within a 75-mile radius of Rochester, New York. There

744-558: The new homeowners, as all the houses were painted white while on lease, although it appears that the tradition of brightly coloured homes began in the late 20th century, rather than earlier. Although the area has always been a centre of Cape Malay culture, until the implementation of the Apartheid Group Areas Act , it also had residents of other ethnicities. These included Indians, non-Muslim Coloureds, Filipinos, Africans, Portuguese and Italians at different times. Historically,

775-481: The older streets are paved in cobblestones and setts (mostly setts); however, many such streets have been paved over with asphalt, which can crack and erode away due to heavy traffic, thus revealing the original stone pavement. In some places such as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan , Canada , as late as the 1990s some busy intersections still showed cobblestones through worn down sections of pavement. In Toronto streets using setts were used by streetcar routes and disappeared by

806-590: The public, a strong majority of which were in support of the new Heritage Zone. The HPOZ stretches to the Table Mountain National Park , and includes the northern verges to the northwest of Strand Street as well as Buitengracht Street, between the intersections with Carisbrook Street and Strand Street. The 19 sites became official National Heritage sites through a declaration by the South African Heritage Resources Agency, under

837-443: The replacement of many cobblestone streets. However, cobblestone streets have been preserved in many historic districts around the world, valued for their historical significance and aesthetic charm. In recent decades, cobblestones have become a popular material for paving newly pedestrianised streets in Europe. In this case, the noisy nature of the surface is an advantage as pedestrians can hear approaching vehicles. The visual cues of

868-594: The sale of buildings and the resultant eviction of long-term residents. In May 2019, 19 sites in the Bo-Kaap area were declared National Heritage sites by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture . The announcement followed the City of Cape Town council's March 2019 approving of the inclusion of the Bo-Kaap area in a Heritage Protection Overlay Zone (HPOZ), which will incorporate around 600 privately owned homes. The city received over 2,000 letters from members of

899-616: The shoreline about a kilometre to the northeast. East of the city centre, Strand Street passes under the N2 freeway , to which it is connected by ramps . It continues as New Market Street and then Albert Street, eventually becoming Voortrekker Road , the original road route from Cape Town to Bellville and the interior. West of the centre it becomes High Level Road to Sea Point . 33°55′26″S 18°25′32″E  /  33.92389°S 18.42556°E  / -33.92389; 18.42556 This South African road or road transport-related article

930-574: The traditional manner, by placing and arranging granite stones by hand. In the Czech Republic , there are old cobblestone paths with colored marbles and limestones . The design with three colors (red/limestone, black/limestone, white/marble) has a long tradition in Bohemia . The cubes of the old ways are handmade. In the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, the retreat of the glaciers during

961-571: Was commonplace since ancient times for flat stones with a flat narrow edge to be set on edge to provide an even paved surface. This was known as a 'pitched' surface and was common all over Britain, as it did not require rounded pebbles. Pitched surfaces predate the use of regularly-sized granite setts by more than a thousand years. Such pitched paving is quite distinct from that formed from rounded stones, although both forms are commonly referred to as 'cobbled' surfaces. Most surviving genuinely old 'cobbled' areas are in reality pitched surfaces. A cobbled area

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