The house was originally known as Oosterzee and was built by PAM Cloete shortly after the South African War. Shortly thereafter it was sold to an American, Hugh Tevis, who spent approximately £237000 on converting their existing building to a neo-Tudor mansion. From 1951 to 1976 it served as a private preparatory school for boys and in 1982 the building was restored by the Seardel Investment Corporation as their corporate headquarters. It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 27 December 1985. Monterey Nursery School opened its doors in January 1972 in Clayton House, Klaassens Road, Wynberg and was formed as part of Monterey Preparatory School. In the last quarter of 1978, Monterey Pre-Primary School, as the School was now known, relocated to the Old Westcott Primary School premises, Main Road, Diep River. The School leased this beautiful old School building with the bell tower and after much hard work and transformation, opened its doors. The momentous task of excavating the grounds to create the hills and tunnels was huge. The School continued at these premises for the next 30years.
Place record
Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg
- Coordinates
- -34.0030, 18.4550
- Updated
- 20 Jul 2026

Monterey House Image source
Location Map
Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg
How we know this
- 01www.sahra.org.za/sahris/node/31479 https://www.monterey.org.za/our-school/history/
Last updated · 20 Jul 2026
South African History Online. (2011, July 14). Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/P-0065894
South African History Online (2011) 'Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg', South African History Online, 14 July. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/P-0065894 (Accessed: 21 July 2026).
South African History Online, Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/P-0065894, (accessed 21 July 2026).
"Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg." South African History Online, 14 July 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/P-0065894. Accessed 21 July 2026.
South African History Online. "Monterey House, Klaasens Road, Wynberg." South African History Online. July 14, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/P-0065894.
Further reading
Cape Town the Segregated city
The Freedom struggle in Cape Town
Cape Town Timeline 1300-1997
Slave Resistance
Cape Youth Congress (CAYCO)
United Women’s Organisation (UWO)
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