Farewell to one of the last of the City's 1960s office blocks, and the tallest ever demolished.
Have you ever noticed the brown tower between the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater? It's called St Helen's (formerly the Aviva Tower), and it's not long for this world.
The tower, which stands 118 metres tall, is about to be demolished. This is significant. It will be the largest tower ever taken down in London, easily beating Drapers Gardens and Southwark Towers (on the site of the Shard), which both hit 100 metres.
The only taller building ever to be dismantled in London was Old St Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London. It stood at an estimated 150 metres.
The St Helen's tower will make way for the colossal 1 Undershaft, which gained planning consent in December 2024. At almost 310 metres, it'll dwarf its predecessor and reach a similar height to the Shard.
The loss of St Helen's won't upset most people, but it's not without its fans. The skyscraper was built in 1969 in a modernist international style reminiscent of towers by Mies van der Rohe, and is one of the last of its kind in London. Originally known as the Commercial Union Building, it was most recently occupied by Aviva.
One downside to the demolition is the closure of the large plaza in front of the building. This had developed into an attractive pedestrian space, and was recently home to a charming set of illuminated see-saws. This space will now be cordoned off for several years while demolition and construction takes place.
