The Arop House is a building in Von Brandis & Kerk Street, Johannesburg , South Africa . Construction commenced in 1931 and completed in 1932 by Hermann Kallenbach , a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi , along with his partners Kennedy and Furner. The building is characterized by balconies with steel balusterades and its name was inspired by a Soviet petroleum company with the same name [1] As of 2014 [update] , the building is in a dilapidated state.