Waterkloof is home to some of the most sought-after and luxurious real estate in the whole of Pretoria. This beautiful suburb has streets lined with Jacaranda trees that are in full bloom during October, creating a sight to behold. Certain Waterkloof properties are set apart by their hilltop views of the city and Union Buildings. Newer extensions to the suburb include Waterkloof Ridge, Waterkloof Park and Waterkloof Heights, referred to collectively as 'the Waterkloofs’, all of which also offer homes with great views of the city.
The Waterkloofs form part of what agents refer to as the 'old east' including suburbs like Brooklyn, Monument Park and Lynwood. This older part of Waterkloof has become increasingly popular with diplomats and discerning buyers because of its proximity to the city, top schools and the University of Pretoria as well as many shopping malls and its easy access to the main highways. In fact, Deputy Minister of Public Works, Ntopile Kganyago, recently declared that Waterkloof be designated a ministerial and ambassadorial suburb.
Development of Waterkloof started in 1890 when landowners Julius Jeppe and Sir Abe Bailey started the African Farm Development Company and enlisted Dutch architect Wilhelm de Zwaan to design the first homes in Waterkloof. Original houses were simple and were built according to a fixed plan – three bedrooms, a dining room, a lounge, a kitchen and an outside toilet. Although Victorian architecture was the trend at that time, de Zwaan built houses in his own style using features like tin roofs and shuttered, wood-framed bay windows.
Today the thing that is striking to outsiders is the fact that there is no one building style that defines the Waterkloof neighbourhood. From fabulous face brick and Victorian mansions, to the over-the-top splendour of Tuscany, no uniform style exists and anything goes.