The Rex Trueform Factory Complex is socially and architecturally significant as it is testimony to both the workers’ rights movement and the modern functionalist movement of the mid-20th Century. Rex Trueform employed many residents of the then ‘coloured’ Salt River district. Notably, many of these workers were young ‘coloured’ women, a constituency who had not entered into the job market in significant numbers before this time. This large factory also typifies South African work spaces that were segregated according to gender and race. Exemplifying this, is the large staircase designed by Andrews and Niegerman which was intended for use by employees of ‘colour’ and has separate flights for each gender. In addition, the Rex Trueform building is an exceptionally clear and well-preserved example of the modern functionalist movement in South Africa. The original design of the factory emphasizes efficiency in the use of space and light. The architects selected the most modern materials of the day exemplified by the juggernaut Georgian wire glass windows of the 1948 Victoria Road façade. In these ways, the social and architectural heritages of the Rex Trueform Factory Complex are not only significant but also intertwined. The Factory Complex reflects the socials and architectural history of Cape Town during the 20th century.
