Plymouth Civic Centre

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Plymouth Civic Centre
Plymouth Civic Centre 2016.jpg
General information
Classification
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated21 June 2007
Reference no.1392038
LocationPlymouth, England
AddressArmada Way, Plymouth PL1 2AA
Coordinates50°22′11″N 4°08′36″W / 50.369762°N 4.143204°W / 50.369762; -4.143204Coordinates: 50°22′11″N 4°08′36″W / 50.369762°N 4.143204°W / 50.369762; -4.143204
Inaugurated1962

Plymouth Civic Centre is a former principal administrative centre of Plymouth, Devon, England. Opened in 1962, the building was used by Plymouth City Council until it was sold for development in 2015. It has been Grade II Listed since 2007.[1]

History[]

The Civic Centre before nightfall in 2004.

As part of the post-war plans to rebuild the city, Plymouth's Civic Centre was designed by city architect Hector Stirling. Although his design was approved in 1957, the architects Jellicoe, Ballantyne & Colleridge were given authority to make amendments to his design. As a result, some aspects of the centre was changed, but Stirling's general layout and concept remained.[1]

In January 1958, excavation work commenced by Messrs Richard Costain. In August that year, Messrs Staverton Builders Ltd began the foundation and substructure work.[1] The construction of the adjoining Council House began in November 1959 by Messrs Humphreys Ltd. Although financial problems raised concern over whether the tower building would be finished, the Civic Centre was completed in 1962.[2] The building was handed over to the council, having cost £1,600,000 to build, on 21 March 1962.[1][2] Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the building on 26 July 1962.[3]

The Civic Centre became Plymouth's main administrative centre. For the first time, all of the city's municipal departments were housed together. Before the war, the council had used various offices throughout the city.[2] By the 21st century, Plymouth City Council felt the building was becoming too expensive to maintain and inadequate for their needs. Plans to demolish the building were scrapped when the building became Grade II Listed in June 2007. The council then began looking at possible future uses for the building.[4]

In 2013, plans for the tower to become a hotel were announced, with the Akkeron Group set to purchase the building.[5] However, the purchase did not come to fruition and in 2015, the tower was eventually sold to developers Urban Splash for £1.[4] In 2014, council staff began to vacate the building, with the last of the staff having left in 2015.[6][7] The council has retained the adjacent Council House,[8] while the tower awaits redevelopment.[9] In January 2020 Urban Splash presented plans to convert the tower for residential use creating 144 apartments.[10]

Design[]

The Civic Centre is a fourteen-storey tower block, with a 'butterfly' roof canopy and an attached two-storey block to the north. The tower housed the offices of the various municipal departments. The top storey of the tower was originally the Rooftop Restaurant, which was open to the public and closed in 1975.[2] The adjoining two-storey building Council House has a number of committee rooms, a council chamber, reception room and the Lord Mayor's suite.[1] The members' entrance to the Council House contains a mural depicting local scenes painted by Mary Adshead in 1962.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Former Civic Centre, City of Plymouth (1392038)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  2. ^ a b c d "Plymouth, Civic Centre". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2017-07-24.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "Plymouth Civic Centre". Nicebuildings.com. 1962-07-26. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  4. ^ a b Rossiter, Keith (2016-06-10). "Why Plymouth's Civic Centre was sold for £1". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  5. ^ "Plymouth's Civic Centre 'to become hotel' - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  6. ^ "Award winning Urban Splash is now the owner of Plymouth's Civic Centre". Urbansplash.co.uk. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  7. ^ "Plymouth civic centre building sold to developers - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  8. ^ "Urban Splash now own Plymouth Civic Centre". Plymouth Newsroom. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Plans to redevelop Plymouth's Civic Centre are approved". Plymouth Live. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Civic Centre plans to finally be given the go-ahead". Plymouth Live. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Civic Centre, Princess Street, Plymouth: mural by Mary Adshead in the members' entrance to the council house". Royal Institutes of British Architects. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
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