Your guide to Heidelberg Gauteng
#Die Ou Meule
Heritage Blue Plaque #Nr 47
DIE OU MEULE - Cnr of Meyer and Schoeman Streets
What is the story here?
This building, as well as the store diagonally across Schoeman Street and the house at 14 Schoeman Street was built for Mr David Harry Bartkunsky (1907-1974) in the 1930s. He owned and ran the Heidelberg Electric Roller Mills. He milled various types of grain and also stored grain in his large storehouse behind his home.
David Harry Bartkunsky was born on the 15th April 1907 in Seduva, Lithuania. He arrived in SA in 1925 and married Anne Antesorsky in Volksrust on the 1st of April 1940. Anne was born in 1903 in Bellville. They had four children: Philip, Qwen, Irwin and Herbert. David Barkunsky became a South African citizen on the 19th of November 1957 and they lived at 14 Schoeman Street, Heidelberg.
Anne died on the 17th of January 1974 in Boksburg and David committed suicide on the 17th of January 1974 by shooting himself in the head, while in his car parked inside his garage behind his home in Heidelberg. Bartkunsky had contracted cancer and he was heard to of said, “Those sharks will never get my money!” (Referring to the doctors) The Bartkunskys are buried in the Wespark Jewish Cemetery in Johannesberg.
(Source: Eugene Viljoen in the 20 April 2022 edition of the Heidelberg/Nigel Heraut and Paul Bartkunsky, grandson of David Bartkunsky)
Note by Tony: The building was once used as a bottle store named “Die Ou Meule” and also as a drive through fast food restaurant. Emis Security are now using the building as their office and Adendorff Machinery Mart is using the section where the bottle store was. Inside the Machinery Mart is a large mural of different sites of Heidelberg, which was painted during the time of the “Ou Meule” bottle store.
The building diagonally across in Schoeman street, that was also part of the Mill, was used by Radzo Security Systems but has now new tenants. At the back of that building is a locksmith and above the locksmith is QR’s Pub & Grill. The Dagbreek Cafe next door has since been demolished.
The house at 14 Schoeman Street has been very well looked after and the only change is in the kitchen. It still retains the 1930s character. There are different Art Nouveau light fittings in every room.
