A historical building dating back to 1778, a time when Bree street housed craftsmen such as builders, coppersmiths and shoemakers, the dilapidated 163 Bree street building was renovated in the 1990’s by Cape Town architecture firm Van der Merwe and Miszewski Architects. It served as their office until 2019, when Open City took over residence of the building, and extensively renovated the interior.

Open City cleaned out and refurbished the interior, removing dry-walling and ceilings to create a more open space. The floors, bathrooms and kitchen were redone, and timber shelving echoing the existing timber feature beams were installed to provide space for storage and display. All new furniture and joinery was installed to breathe new life into the space. Open City only required a small amount of the total floor area to utilise as their office space, and so the concept of a shared co-working space was employed to fill the space with like-minded creatives, fostering collaborations and promoting the sharing of resources.