Birmingham landmark Alpha Tower has been handed Grade II listed building status by English Heritage. The award was granted in recognition of the skyscraper’s status as “one of the most aesthetically successful” office buildings in the city.
According to English Heritage “Its design successfully combined several ideas into a powerful and elegant building which soon became, and has continued to be, one of the most popular landmarks of the rebuilding of Birmingham city centre in the mid-20th century.”
The 196,000 sq ft tower was built in 1973 to house regional television company ATV. It later became the headquarters of Birmingham City Council but has stood largely empty since the departure of council staff in 2010.
In February of this year it was acquired by Anglo Scandinavian Estates Group (ASE) in a deal reportedly worth £14 million, and an extensive refurbishment scheme commenced shortly afterwards.
Given Alpha Tower’s location, between the business district of Colmore Row and the attractive canalside development Brindleyplace, the new owners clearly believe there is potential to attract tenants and generate rental income.
But while supporters of 20th century architecture are celebrating the protection that Alpha Tower now enjoys, another city centre landmark appears doomed, as the seventeen acre Paradise Circus development moves closer.
Birmingham Central Library, which was replaced by the Stirling Prize shortlisted Library of Birmingham last year, has always divided opinion.
To its supporters the building is one of the finest examples of mid-century Brutalism anywhere in the UK. To its detractors, it is a concrete eyesore that should have been knocked down years ago.
The Friends of the Central Library and the Twentieth Century Society describe the “Ziggurat” as bold and monumental. Prince Charles, whose views on modern architecture are well known, once said that the building resembled a place where books are burned rather than stored.
Now its days are numbered as the scheme to transform the area between Centenary Square and Chamberlain Square gets into gear.
The first phase of the development will deliver over 250,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, a new road layout and improvements to the public realm. In the long term, Paradise Circus will comprise nearly 2 million sq ft of commercial space ranging from offices and shops, to restaurants, bars and cafés in a series of new streets and spaces.
The proposals are at the heart of Birmingham’s Enterprise Zone and Big City Plan which is considered vital to maintain the city’s position as a major business centre and to ensure its economic future.
Whether in 40 years’ time Birmingham will be debating which early twenty-first century buildings within Paradise Circus should be protected or demolished, remains to be seen. But one thing looks certain – Alpha Tower will still be a feature on the city skyline.
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