Open House

Cape Town


Kimberley-born artist Jacques Coetzer was the winner of a World Design Capital competition in 2014 to create a piece of public art for the city. Rising up three stories to 10.5m, the bright-red house facade with stairs and balconies is envisioned as a place where people can go to speak, sing, cry or simply wave to passers by. Coetzer drew inspiration from corrugated metal structures, RDP homes (government-subsidised, Reconstruction and Development Programme houses) and Long St itself.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cape Town attractions

1. Palm Tree Mosque

0.05 MILES

Dating from 1780, this is one of the oldest unaltered buildings along Long St.

2. Waalburg Building

0.07 MILES

The Waalburg Building has a facade decorated with bronze and Table Mountain–stone panels depicting scenes of South African life. Opposite is the Western…

3. Church St

0.1 MILES

The pedestrianised portion of this street, between Burg and Long Sts, hosts a flea market (8am to 3pm Monday to Saturday) and has several interesting art…

4. National Library of South Africa

0.11 MILES

Facing the north end of the Public Garden, this neoclassical building is based on the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK, and holds a copy of nearly…

5. St George’s Cathedral

0.12 MILES

Known as the People’s Cathedral, this was one of the few places of worship that was open to people of all races during apartheid. Classical concerts are…

7. Arch for Arch

0.15 MILES

Unveiled in 2017 for Archibishop Desmond Tutu's 86th birthday, this wooden arch stands next to the cathedral where the Nobel Prize winner presided as a…

8. Shell House

0.16 MILES

Another of the art deco buildings on Greenmarket Sq, this building once housed the South African headquarters of petrochemicals company Shell. It's now a…