Mutual Heights

The Mutual Heights building features a towering gray facade decorated with intricate, gold-leafed figures of native animals and figures representing the diverse population of the region. Originally built in nineteen thirty-nine as the headquarters for the South African Mutual Life Assurance Society, it stood as the tallest building in Africa for over two decades. Workers once polished the delicate exterior carvings by hand, hanging from precarious scaffolds, while inside, the grand lobby dazzled visitors with its massive granite pillars and polished marble floors.