Arop House Johannesburg

This building with its simple yet elegant steel balustrades on each balcony, was designed in 1932 by Kallenbach (close friend of Mahatma Gandhi), Kennedy & Furner for African Russian Oil Products. Formed in 1931 for the marketing of petroleum products from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) under the brand name AROP, the petrol, paraffin and lubricating oil were sold at competitive prices until 1937 when the government fixed the price of petrol, putting an end to the Soviet's entry into a free market in South Africa. Stylishly curved stepped concrete brackets support the canopy over the pavement - a hallmark of Art Deco design. (Blue plaque inscription)