Fountain House was the first office block of its kind in London. Now its days are numbered.
What do you think when you see a building like this? For many, it's a grim, grubby relic of a bygone age. But postwar office blocks like Fountain House are a critically endangered species.
Fountain House on Fenchurch Street was constructed between 1954 and 1958, as one of the first tall buildings to go up in the City following the Blitz. It was also the first to be constructed on the podium-and-tower principle, which would soon be the norm for London office blocks. An excellent potted history can be found on A London Inheritance.
70 years on, and the building is looking somewhat jaded. The structure is outdated, and the floorplan is unappealing to modern office workers. Meanwhile, the long, low-rise podium is considered wasteful of space. Needless to say, Fountain House is earmarked for the wrecking ball. A taller, wider office block called 130 Fenchurch Street will go up in its place. Meanwhile, the site is shrouded in hoardings which, I discover, have my name on them.
The move might make commercial sense, and will bring advantages to the site, such as increased public realm access. But we should pause to consider the heritage angle. Yes, postwar office blocks are not to everyone's visual taste. But almost all of them have now gone. Just around the corner, the St Helen's Tower will be demolished in the coming year. Meanwhile, the last of the big London Wall towers, Bastion House, is also earmarked for demolition.
This first generation of skyscrapers grew up from the ruins of Blitz-ravaged London. It is a period in the City's history that will be considered enormously important to future generations. For a thousand years, church towers and steeples had dominated the skyline. Now, for the first time, steel-framed commercial buildings were muscling them out.
It's not the most romantic thread of London history, but it is an important one. Some essence of the period should be saved for posterity. The imminent loss of Fountain House robs us of one of the earliest and best-proportioned examples from that first wave of office towers. How many more remain?
A consultation about the new development can be found on the 130 Fenchurch Street site.
