Did you know this building was once the most hated skyscraper in London? Centre Point (1966) is a Brutalist masterpiece that spent its first decade completely empty, earning it the nickname “London’s Empty Skyscraper.”
Today, it’s been reborn as luxury apartments, but my favorite detail is at the base: the neon poem by Robert Montgomery. It reads: “Whenever you see the sun reflected in the window of a building it is an angel.” Next time you’re rushing toward Tottenham Court Road, look up! The honeycomb concrete was actually designed to be built without scaffolding—a total engineering marvel for the 60s.
#LondonArchitecture #CentrePoint #Brutalism #HiddenLondon #LocalGuide
Some Hidden" Facts :
- The Gallows Ground: Long before the skyscraper, the site was home to the St. Giles gallows. It was a place of execution for centuries; the tower literally sits on top of a dark piece of London’s criminal history.
- Scaffold-Free: The architect, Richard Seifert, used pre-cast concrete “H” units that were bolted together from the inside. This meant they never had to wrap the building in scaffolding, which made its rapid rise into the skyline feel almost like magic (or a threat) to 1960s Londoners.
- The Namesake Charity: The youth homelessness charity Centrepoint was named specifically as a “protest” against this building. Founders were outraged that such a massive tower sat empty while people slept on the streets nearby.
- A “Pop Art” Skyscraper: While we call it Brutalist today, famous artist Eduardo Paolozzi called it London’s first “Pop Art” building because of its rhythmic, jazzy pattern that looked more like a graphic print than a traditional office block.
- The 150-Year Lease: The developer, Harry Hyams, was such a master negotiator that he managed to secure the land lease from the London County Council for just £18,500 a year for 150 years—an absolute steal that caused a massive political scandal at the time.
with those first rows of the early morning and if by chance we can hear the nature at that specific time ( eyes closed) …I’ll let you imagine the rest.. 