Villa Arcadia

It was love at first site for the team tasked to find Hollard a new home and restoration work began as soon as they became the proud new owners. The company loved the fact that there was so much meaningful and important history imbedded in every rock and brick and pledged that original carvings, brass, doors, stair case, windows and floor tiles would all be carefully preserved.

Conscious of the Heritage Site's history, Hollard acquired the services of leading restoration experts so that the magic of the original Villa Arcadia building could be rediscovered and revealed. Step by careful step the magnificent Villa was brought back to health, vitality and its former glory.

Specialist architects were assigned to design the new office buildings that would harmonize with the elegant Sir Herbert Baker mansion. No less than 32 subcommittees were formed to see that every detail of Hollard's vision would be accurately translated into reality.

In June 2005 Hollard moved onto the campus, which in addition to Villa Arcadia, includes a state of the art Wellness Centre (originally the hospital in its orphanage days) surrounded by grounds suited to relaxing, walking and recharging.

The Hollard Art Collection In Lady Phillips' time, as now, art played an integral role in the growth and development of society and it is through Hollard's founders, the Enthoven family, that this legacy continues. The Enthovens started Hollard's Art Collection with the aim of merging the historical with the contemporary - as well as fostering unique and longterm partnerships. By way of example, a number of contemporary artists were commissioned to collaborate with skilled Xhosa bead-workers, the Qubeka Bead Studio, to create unique artworks. These are the first works of art the visitor sees when entering the Villa through the spacious foyer.

Another unique collection, born from an innovative partnership sponsored by Hollard, is the collaborative initiative where artists were paired with local ceramicists to create impressive works in clay. These creations were originally exhibited at the AVA Gallery in Cape Town and a number of pieces were acquired for display in the Villa.

In addition, the works of up-and-coming artists are shown in an upstairs Gallery at the Villa, providing these artists with much-needed exposure. Often these artists are chosen through The Creative Block project, where 180mm x 180mm blocks are bought from a select group of artists. The Creative Block exchanges artworks for immediate cash but goes further than this, providing the artists with professional feedback on their work to assist them in building their careers in the arts. Creative Block works are displayed and for sale in the foyers of Hollard and Etana House.

Recently, the Villa had the honour of hosting the historic “National Treasures” exhibition (September 2010). All works on this exhibition form part of the Permanent Collection of the Johannesburg Art Gallery and “National Treasures” represented the unique opportunity to showcase this important collection in the very home of its originator and founding patron, Florence Phillips. The rationale behind the exhibition was not only to draw attention to our valuable artistic heritage but also to offer visitors to the exhibition the opportunity to contribute towards the maintenance and restoration of JAG's Collection by purchasing a Creative Block artwork from the 1000-artwork installation in the Music Room at Villa Arcadia.