Menlo Park, Pretoria


Menlopark is an upmarket suburb in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. It borders other upmarket areas Waterkloof, Brooklyn and Lynnwood. When it was first established between the 1950s and 1960s, it was the most eastern suburb of Pretoria, but the city has since considerably expanded eastwards. Today these suburbs are known as the Old East and can boast to have some of the city's most high-end residential properties.
The Old East is characterized by established residential suburbs with mature tree lined streets and established gardens. The original stands were the "Burger Erf" of 2552 m² allocated to returning Servicemen of World War II. Some of these stands have been subdivided into two properties and some into security clusters of 4 units to suit the need for the modern "lock-up-and-go" lifestyles.
Menlo Park has a central position near the N1 highway, within easy reach of the CBD, is near major shopping malls, and has a revamped heart, with a theatre, coffee bars, restaurants and cafés. It is the site of Hoërskool Menlopark and lies near the University of Pretoria.
Together with Brooklyn and Lynnwood, it was most likely named after American counterparts. Residents think that this reflects the suburb's less “stuffy” image, when compared to that of leafy Waterkloof.
The suburb was the home of iconic South African artist Walter Battiss, whose erstwhile home has been converted into a residential development with guesthouse known as Fook Island, as well as abstract artist, Bettie Cilliers-Barnard.