| Villa d'Este | |
|---|---|
 Villa d'Este in 2014 | |
| General information | |
| Location | South Africa |
| Completed | 1923 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Gordon Leith David Morrison |
Villa d'Este (Johannesburg) is a National Heritage site inJohannesburg,Gauteng, recognized by theSouth African Heritage Resource Agency, and on theList of heritage sites in Gauteng. It is located at 82 Jan Smuts Avenue inSaxonwold.
The house was designed by architectGordon Leith in 1923,[1] as a house in Spanish style for the epidemiologistA. J. Orenstein.[2] It was purchased in 1957 by English architect David Morrison (1910–2000), who then spent many years changing the house to apastiche of an Italian villa with itsformal gardens, which reminded the architect of theVilla d'Este atTivoli nearRome. It has a main pool at the front which is a swimming pool, statues and fountains, and aJacuzzi andsauna. David Morrison lived in the house until 1993, when it was purchased by an interior designer who had the gardens renovated and replanted with junipers and cypresses.[3] From 2013–2016 it was used as business premises for a health spa.
