ABSTRACT
A building in the heart of Hillbrow exemplifies the vernacular, localised form regeneration has taken. The Old Synagogue is located on Wolmarans Street. Built in 1914, it was the third synagogue constructed in Johannesburg and was the centrepiece of Jewish life in the city. However, as white residents abandoned the inner-city, the synagogue fell into disuse. Whilst the outer facade of the building serves material needs, the inside continues to nourish inner-city residents’ spiritual lives. It is the home of the Revelation Church of God, an offshoot of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a major transnational church which was founded in Brazil but has spread rapidly around the world, particularly on the African continent. Theorising urban change from a vernacular perspective means employing a variety of vocabularies and conceptual registers and allowing for varied, unexpected findings and outcomes to emerge.
