Elmbank Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elmbank Gardens |
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Charing Cross Complex
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Elmbank Gardens (south west elevation)
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| Alternative names | Charing Cross Tower The Venlaw |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Offices (1972-92) Hotel (1995-present) |
| Architectural style | Brutalist |
| Town or city | Charing Cross, Glasgow |
| Country | Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°51′53.59″N 4°16′11.74″W / 55.8648861°N 4.2699278°W |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Opened | 1973 |
| Renovated | 1994 |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 14 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Pre-cast Concrete |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Richard Seifert |
The Elmbank Gardens complex, also known as the Charing Cross Complex or Charing Cross Tower, is a large building in Charing Cross, Glasgow, Scotland. It has many different uses, like offices and a hotel.
The most famous part is its 14-storey tower. This tower stands tall over the M8 motorway and is right across from the Mitchell Library. Famous architect Richard Seifert designed it. Construction happened between 1969 and 1973. It is one of the tallest buildings in western Glasgow city centre. The complex also includes the buildings for the underground railway station.
Since 1995, the tower has been a hotel. It is currently run by the Premier Inn chain. Other parts of the complex have offices and places for fun and entertainment.
Building History
The 1960s brought big changes to Glasgow. Many old buildings were removed to make way for new roads. The areas of Charing Cross and Anderston were in the path of the new Glasgow Inner Ring Road, which is now part of the M8.
Richard Seifert's company was chosen to plan much of this new development. He had a big plan for the area. However, only parts of his grand design were actually built.
The first main tenant of the building was YARD. This stood for Yarrow-Admiralty Research Department. It was part of a shipbuilding company called Yarrow Shipbuilders. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the building in 1976. YARD stayed there until 1992. After they left, the building was empty for more than two years.
In the early 1990s, Glasgow needed more budget hotels. So, in 1994, a company decided to turn the tower into a 270-bedroom hotel. The YMCA was going to run it. The building was renovated for £4.5 million. The hotel opened in March 1995 and created 50 new jobs. During this work, a canopy was added to the roof. This helped hide the elevator machinery on the top floor.
Later, the hotel was sold and became The Charing Cross Tower Hotel. It was then run by Premier Lodge, and now it is a Premier Inn. In 2004, there was a plan to build a new 19-storey residential tower nearby. This new tower was called The Venlaw Tower, but the plan did not go ahead.
The outside of the complex was cleaned and repaired between 2012 and 2013. The concrete panels were made bright white again, just like they were when new.
How it was Built
The design of Elmbank Gardens is similar to another famous building by Richard Seifert. This building is the Centre Point complex in London. Elmbank Gardens has lower buildings for offices and shops. These buildings are between two and five stories tall. The tall office tower stands at the centre.
The complex also included an unused part of the nearby King's Theatre. All these parts surround a sunken garden in the middle. This garden helps people walk easily from Bath Street and Elmbank Crescent. You can also see two concrete murals inside the complex. These artworks were made by local artists Charles Anderson and Keith McCarter.
There was also a raised platform area that was meant for a pub. However, it was never used for that purpose. Now, a small snack bar is located there. The building was also built at the same time as a new railway station. This station is part of the North Clyde Line and runs underground, south of the site.
The concrete parts used in Elmbank Gardens were similar to those used in Seifert's other nearby project, the Anderston Centre. Similar concrete designs were also used in the Sheraton Park Tower Hotel in London.
The complex was first called the "Charing Cross Complex." The name Elmbank Gardens comes from the street names of the individual buildings. Now, this name refers to the whole development.
