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Donald Mackay Park is a municipal park situated on Abel Road/Lily Avenue in the Berea district of Johannesburg on stands 11/92 and 104/92.
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History
As the town was expanding and there were water shortages, a decision was taken in 1896 by the Town Council to construct a reservoir. The reservoir was built by the Rand Water Board and lies beneath the Donald Mackay Park. The reservoir is still in use to this day.
Donald Mackay Park dates from around 1896, and is located above the reservoir built by the Rand Water Board in 1888. The foundation stone of the reservoir was laid by Mrs Von Brandis, wife of the first magistrate and Mining Commissioner of Johannesburg. The reservoir was designed for 227 million litres of water to combat water shortages in the city.
The park adjacent to the reservoir was formerly known as ‘Andrew’s Reserve’ and partly ‘Waterworks Reservoir’ as annotated on Gilchrist’s ‘Street Plan’ of Johannesburg dated January 1906. The Donald Mackay Park was given its name on 31 January 1939, in honour of Donald William Mackay, mayor of Johannesburg in 1936-7.
Both the reservoir and the Park are currently owned by the City Council of Johannesburg.
Heritage Status
The Donald Mackay Park is historically and culturally significant for the following reasons: