Centre Point

From LondonHotels.in

101 New Oxford St, London WC1 A1DD

Centre Point stands in the centre of the West End, over-looking the junction of Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road. The 35-storey block of offices is one of the most contraversial buildings, in the city of London. It was designed by R. Seifert who also designed the NatWest tower and went on to change the European skyline during his career. This building, also known as the Centre Point tower or Centre Point, stands on a site originally, designated for a roundabout. Due to some underhand and shady business deals, the building got planning permission in 1959 and was finally, completed, in 1967, at a cost of £5.5m.

The building remained empty, for 12 years, until 1979. Although many people believed that the building remained empty, due to its unsightly appearance, others were suspicious that Harry Hyams, the then owner, purposely, kept the building empty in a bid to profit financially. At a height of 117m (or 385ft), Centre Point was the tallest, pre-cast concrete office in the world when it was built. For this reason, Centre Point is an architectural tribute to the 1960s. It is still one of the highest buildings dominating the city skyline.

Architects:

R. Seifert & Partners

Gaunt Francis

The base of the tower block is, enveloped with a glass ‘skin’, added during renovation work, to provide a modern-day reception area with easy access.

Centre Point is now a Grade II listed building. It acquired this status in 1995.