Highpoint I
| Highpoint I | |
|---|---|
 Corner detail of Highpoint 1, showing balcony profiles. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Residential |
| Architectural style | International style |
| Address | North Hill, Highgate, London, N6 4BA, United Kingdom |
| Town or city | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°34′30″N 0°09′03″W / 51.5749°N 0.1507°WCoordinates: 51°34′30″N 0°09′03″W / 51.5749°N 0.1507°W |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Berthold Lubetkin |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup |
| Main contractor | J. L. Kier & Co Ltd |
| Designations | Grade I listed |
Highpoint I was the first of two apartment blocks erected in the 1930s on one of the highest points in London, England, in Highgate. The architectural design was by the Russian-born architect Berthold Lubetkin,[1] the structural design by the Anglo-Danish engineer Ove Arup and the construction by Kier.[citation needed]
Highpoint I was built in 1935 for the entrepreneur Sigmund Gestetner, but was never used for its intended purpose of housing Gestetner company staff. One of the best examples of early International style architecture in London, this block of 64 flats was very innovative in its day.
When the building was completed, it became widely renowned as the finest example of this form of construction for residential purposes. When Corbusier himself visited Highpoint in 1935 he said, "This beautiful building .... at Highgate is an achievement of the first rank." And the American critic Henry Russell Hitchcock called it, "One of the finest, if not absolutely the finest, middle-class housing projects in the world."[2] In 1970 this reputation gained official recognition when both Highpoint blocks were classified Grade I within the historic buildings listing programme.[3]
The second Lubetkin building in the same style, , was completed on an adjoining site in 1938. This is also a Grade I Listed Building.[4]
The gardens at Highpoint contain a swimming pool and two tennis courts.
Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected Highpoint as one of his eight choices for the 2002 BBC book The Story of Britain's Best Buildings.[5]
References[]
- ^ "High point of modern". The Times. London. 12 May 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ The From Here To Modernity team. "Highpoint One: The High-Rise arrives in London". OpenLearn.
- ^ "Buildings of Historic or Architectural Interest". millbanksystems.com.
- ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1079183)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ Cruickshank, Dan. "Choosing Britain's Best Buildings". BBC History. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
External links[]
Media related to Highpoint Apartments at Wikimedia Commons
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- Residential buildings in London
- Modernist architecture in London
- Berthold Lubetkin buildings
- Ove Arup buildings and structures
- Residential buildings completed in 1935
- Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Haringey
- Grade I listed residential buildings
- Highgate
- London building and structure stubs
- United Kingdom listed building stubs