TRIVIA: Buildings that were demolished soon after being built

[Mcr Warrior]

Anyone mentioned yet the relatively short-lived and somewhat infamous 'Hulme Crescents' housing scheme, a grim brutalist, grey concrete, multi-storeyed deck-access housing development located just a mile or two South of Manchester City Centre. Built in c. 1972 to replace the previous back-to-back inner-city low rise terraced houses in the area, it's many design faults meant that it soon fell into disrepute and disrepair, and the scheme was demolished in various stages between 1993 and 1995, and many would say, not before time.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I think it was retained initially as it was also where the ramped access up from the station building appeared, but they’ve since added another bigger building further along the platform. The current Google aerial view shows it was still present at the time the realignment was complete and in use. But there’s also a later “Streetview“ across from the east side access road that shows the new brick building that you mention, and that is much larger; and the original building at the access has been rebuilt in brick and is now smaller than before.

The 2017-2019 “straightening” planning drawings show the earlier building being retained. So I think it might have been part of an additional separate project to provide better toilet facilities etc, and the various NR publicity pieces I’ve found suggest there was about a 3 year period when the original setup remained in use; however I can’t find a planning application for the new waiting room.

Thanks for the detailed answer. It was strange; I distinctly remember, travelling on a down service that stopped at Harboro' before remodelling, seeing passengers on rainy days getting wet walking (or running!) from the waiting room to the train; and then noticing quite late that it had somehow disappeared, even though I pass it pretty frequently (though not, obviously in 2020-21)

I don't know whether it's only me; but on journeys that I make regularly (by road as well as rail) I sometimes suddenly realise that a landmark has completely disappeared without noticing the process of it happening, if you see what I mean. And this was an example.

 

[Dougal2345]

Maybe not that short-lived, but Marco Polo House in Wandsworth only lasted 25 years, 1989-2014.

It used to be visible from the railway line out of Victoria.

Perhaps not everyone's taste architecturally but certainly striking (I liked it!), in 1990 it was the home of BSB, Britain's great hope for a quality satellite TV service, snuffed out after a few months by Murdoch's Sky empire. Its demolition seemed to mark the final erasure of BSB from history.

The book on the subject of BSB, "Dished - The Rise and Fall of British Satellite Broadcasting" (Peter Chippindale and Suzanne Franks) is a bit of a page turner, even when you know the disastrous ending beforehand.

 

[Merle Haggard]

On a variation of the thread title; there's buildings that should have been demolished soon (or very soon) after they were built, but weren't. Ideally, they should not have been built in the first place. There was even a t.v. series a few years ago about them I can't remember the title); the premise was the idea of a reverse-listing process, the exact opposite of where listing prevents them from being demolished.

Many people in Northampton thought that the appalling 1976 Grosvenor Centre bus station was a prime candidate, but disappointingly it was only runner up in the final t.v. poll. Competition was pretty hot though, from some other real stinkers.

Is it not the case that architects usually live in very old houses rather than contemporary 'architect designed' (as developers used to claim) developments? but maybe I'm being cynical...

 

[Dougal2345]

On a variation of the thread title; there's buildings that should have been demolished soon (or very soon) after they were built, but weren't. Ideally, they should not have been built in the first place. There was even a t.v. series a few years ago about them I can't remember the title); the premise was the idea of a reverse-listing process, the exact opposite of where listing prevents them from being demolished.

I think this was "Demolition":

Demolition (TV series) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Demolition is a 2005 television series from Channel 4, which can be seen as being the reverse of the BBC's 2003 series Restoration. The public were encouraged to vote for buildings which they want demolished and replaced, with 12 buildings making The Dirty Dozen.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I think this was "Demolition":

Demolition (TV series) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks, I remember it now. I also remember 'Restoration' which perhaps helped to re-inforce my prejudices against architects

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Maybe not that short-lived, but Marco Polo House in Wandsworth only lasted 25 years, 1989-2014.

It used to be visible from the railway line out of Victoria.

Perhaps not everyone's taste architecturally but certainly striking (I liked it!), in 1990 it was the home of BSB, Britain's great hope for a quality satellite TV service, snuffed out after a few months by Murdoch's Sky empire. Its demolition seemed to mark the final erasure of BSB from history.

The book on the subject of BSB, "Dished - The Rise and Fall of British Satellite Broadcasting" (Peter Chippindale and Suzanne Franks) is a bit of a page turner, even when you know the disastrous ending beforehand.

View attachment 142832

I never understood why the architect didn't finish the tops of it properly! To me, those gaps in each of the four gables just didn't look right and were a distraction from the appearance of the rest of the building.

 

[J-2739]

I never understood why the architect didn't finish the tops of it properly! To me, those gaps in each of the four gables just didn't look right and were a distraction from the appearance of the rest of the building.

View attachment 142849

It's giving Sony Building by Philip Johnson.

(c) David Shankbone

 

[yorksrob]

Maybe not that short-lived, but Marco Polo House in Wandsworth only lasted 25 years, 1989-2014.

It used to be visible from the railway line out of Victoria.

Perhaps not everyone's taste architecturally but certainly striking (I liked it!), in 1990 it was the home of BSB, Britain's great hope for a quality satellite TV service, snuffed out after a few months by Murdoch's Sky empire. Its demolition seemed to mark the final erasure of BSB from history.

The book on the subject of BSB, "Dished - The Rise and Fall of British Satellite Broadcasting" (Peter Chippindale and Suzanne Franks) is a bit of a page turner, even when you know the disastrous ending beforehand.

View attachment 142832

One occasionally still sees the odd squarial around.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Interesting thread.

One thing that I could point you towards is the career of Owen Luder and his partnership - an eminent architect during the 1960s and 1970s who lived into his 90s and had the dubious distinction of seeing many of his major projects/creations razed to the ground.

The Derwent Tower (Dunston Rocket), the Get Carter car park, the Southgate Centre in Bath, the Tricorn in Portsmouth were all his and went in 30-40 years.

 

[Dougal2345]

The Derwent Tower (Dunston Rocket), the Get Carter car park, the Southgate Centre in Bath, the Tricorn in Portsmouth were all his and went in 30-40 years.

Yes a great shame... managed to catch three of those in their final years.

Planned to get the train to Dunston and was disappointed to find that in 2009 services were few and far between, so got the bus instead.

 

[Meerkat]

If you’re talking Darlington, the old ground Feethams had a brand new main stand in 1997/8, closed in 2003 and demolished in 2006!

Was it demolished or dismantled? One of Darlington‘s stands was in Farnborough’s car park for a while waiting to be rebuilt.

There has been a persistent line of thought that it was brought down in fear of it being used as a landmark for Luftwaffe aircraft in the event of war with Germany (which broke out 2 months after the tower's dismantling), but this is almost certainly a urban myth

Could well be true. Seen this about a few towers and follies around the country.

some of you have an odd idea of “soon after being built” - 20+ years isn’t soon, particularly for retail and warehousing (and less so for offices).
Sure the expected life is only 20-30 years (though that doesn’t always mean demolition rather than a strip back to carcass and rebuilding)

 

[MP33]

In one of his albums, the after dinner speaker and explosives expert Blaster Bates described how he was asked how much explosive would be required to demolish the 1960's conference centre he was in. Not much looking at the state of it was his reply. It turned out he was talking to the architect who designed it.

 

[JD2168]

Sheffield City Council built an extension to the Town Hall in 1977 which was known as the ‘Egg Box’ due to it’s design, it was demolished in 2002. In a nearby location & lasting a similar period of time was the Sheffield Registrar Office was was known locally as the ‘Wedding Cake’ due to it’s design. It was also demolished in 2002.