SAUER, Magdalena Gertruide (Magda)

Architect

BA

Mrs STRÖMSÖE.

Worked in Cape Town. She was the daughter and second child of Jacobus Wilhelmus Sauer, politician and cabinet minister, and his wife Mary Cloete and sister of Paul Oliver Sauer, born in Kenilworth and and raised there, when parliament was in session, and on the farm 'Uitkyk' in Stellenbosch. She matriculated from the Bloemhof High School in Stellenbosch, winning the Queen Victoria Memorial Prize in 1906. She enrolled for and studied at the South African College (University of Cape Town) in 1907, graduating in 1911 with a bachelor of Arts (Science) in 1911, majoring in mathematics, physics and dynamics. She later decided to turn to architecture and worked as a trainee with Gordon PILKINGTON. She realised a proper professional qualification was needed and so went to the Architectural Association in London in the 1920s. She returned to South Africa in 1927 and registered with the Institute of Architects on 1927 12 19. By 1927 her married name was Strömsöe, after being briefly married to the Norwegian engineer, STRÖMSÖE, responsible for building the Table Mountain Cableway, by whom she had one daughter Karin STRÖMSÖE, later artist and children's book illustrator. She practised mainly in domestic architecture and had a keen interest in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings. She was responsible, as her last architectural assignment, for the alterations and adaptations of the Old Supreme Court building into a Museum. she also had many contemporary local artists as friends as well as writing as art critic for the local newspaper, Die Burger. Although currently her work requires further research, the few domestic buildings known to have been designed by her show that she adopted to the Cape Dutch style of architecture, perhaps at the request of her clients. The Mann house by her (1928) is typical of this style, owing in part to a tradition re-established in the Cape by Baker and his partners.In 1959 she is recorded as a member of the CPIA of address Lesbeeck How, Newlands, Cape Town, Cape Province. She retired in 1965 In 1969 she is recorded as a retired member of address Pagas Vlei, off Constantia Road, Constantia, Cape Province..

ISAA 1928. (ISAA mem list; SAAR Apr 1934:108)

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes

House HAC Becker - Monmouth: 1930. Paradise Estate, Claremont, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect

House Mann: 1928. Claremont, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect

House TA Gardner: 1934. Muizenberg, Western Cape - Architect

Iziko Museum - Slave Lodge - Supreme Court: 1680 : 1807-1814 : 1926 : 1961-1964. Central, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *

Books citing SAUER

Biographies Editors. 1938. South African Woman's Who's Who 1938. Johannesburg: Biographies. pp 335a-335b

Immelman, René Ferdinand Malan & Quinn, Gerald Dennis. 1968. The Preservation and restoration of historic buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: AA Balkema. pp 18 & figures 27, 35

ISAA. 1959. The Yearbook of the Institute of South African Architects and Chapter of SA Quantity Surveyors 1958-1959 : Die Jaarboek van die Instituut van Suid-Afrikaanse Argitekte en Tak van Suid-Afrikaanse Bourekenaars 1958-1959. Johannesburg: ISAA. pp 96, 210

ISAA. 1969. The Yearbook of the Institute of South African Architects and Chapter of SA Quantity Surveyors 1968-1969 : Die Jaarboek van die Instituut van Suid-Afrikaanse Argitekte en Tak van Suid-Afrikaanse Bourekenaars 1968-1969. Johannesburg: ISAA. pp 100, 175

Verwey, EJ. 1995. New Dictionary of South African Biography. Volume 1. Pretoria: HSRC. pp 223-224

Entries in books by SAUER

Sauer, Magda. Irma Stern. In Our Art 1. 1959. Lantern / SABC