Founding Yeoville was proclaimed as a suburb in 1890 (four years after the discovery of gold led to the founding of Johannesburg) by Thomas Yeo Sherwell, who came from
Yeovil in the
United Kingdom. The area was advertised as a "sanitarium for the rich" in which the air was purer because it was up on a ridge overlooking the dirty, smoke-filled mining town that had sprung from nothing out of the (then)
Transvaal bushveld.
Beacon Royal was built in 1934 on Grafton Road by Obel & Obel, a pair of Jewish architect brothers, Louis Theodore Obel and Mark Obel, who were also responsible for
Astor Mansions and the
Circle Court. It has a
blue plaque, recognising its heritage value. Another notable apartment building is Eltruda Court on Kenmere Road. It was designed by architects Gerson Davids and G.K. Haas and completed in 1950.
Jewish community Since the early 1920s, the suburb was home to a growing and stable community of
Jewish residents. Herbert House on South Street was the first boarding house of the SA Jewish Board of Education. It served Jewish students from country districts and border countries from the 1940s until its closure in 1964. In August 1967, Yeoville Synagogue was the target of a burglary. In the same period, the suburb's
ultra-orthodox synagogue was also targeted and the sanctuary was desecrated. The archives were broken into and record books stolen along with other items. By the 1970s, the suburb had a predominantly
Jewish character, with a number of synagogues in the area and Jewish delicatessens and bakeries in the main business street. Kasrils had his
bar mitzvah at Yeoville Synagogue. The politician
Joe Slovo also spent part of his childhood living in Yeoville, having moved from
Doornfontein. The political activists,
Esther Barsel and her husband
Hymie Barsel also lived in the suburb. In the 1980s, the area south of Raleigh Street attracted students and those working in the arts. The area north of Raleigh Street was mostly populated by
Orthodox Jewish families. Synagogues,
Kosher stores and religious schools served this community.
Post-Union history In 1939, notable architect,
Harold Le Roith built the San Remo apartment building in the neighbourhood. It was distinct for its curved staircase and porthole windows. In the 1960s, future president
Nelson Mandela sought refuge at an apartment on Webb Street in Yeoville. The trend stemmed from
Berea and
Hillbrow as all three neighbourhoods had surplus of unoccupied apartments. The agreement was made, as the DP incumbent,
Harry Schwarz prepared to vacate the seat to take on the role of
South African ambassador to the United States. The migration of white residents northwards, that had started in the late 70s, accelerated in the 1990s. In 1991 Yeoville had a white majority (79%), with most residents leaving in the succeeding years. By 1998 the neighourbood had a black majority (84%). In 1995, the murder of a Jamaican restaurateur, Ridley Wright placed increased attention on the presence of drug dealers in the neighbourhood. A significant factor in the decline and divestment in the area has been the decision taken by banks to redline the neighbourhood. The 1990s were also challenging for the neighbourhood as it experienced the wave of
HIV/
AIDS. The infrastructure challenges include a lack of access to consistent running water, unreliable garbage disposal and a rise in illegal dumping sites. The infrastructure challenges coupled with an increasing population were exacerbated during the
COVID 19 pandemic. ==Houses of worship==