The Carlton Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a mixed-use office and shopping complex with a 50-story tower rising 730 feet (223 m). Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed it with the local firm W. Rhodes-Harrison, Hoffe and Partners, and Murray & Roberts was the main contractor. The project was announced on November 24, 1963, and the complex officially opened on September 1, 1973.
It was the tallest building in Africa from 1973 to 2019. It is built of poured concrete with a sandblasted gray granite finish, and over 46 percent of its floor area is below ground. The foundations are 16 feet (5 m) in diameter and reach bedrock 115 feet (35 m) below street level.
The tower has 23 lifts and 811,110 square feet (75,355 m²) of floor area. It is linked underground to the Carlton Hotel and more than 180 shops. The top floor, called the Carlton Panorama or Top of Africa, was a visitor attraction.
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