Empress State Building facts for kids
The Empress State Building is a tall building located on the edge of West Brompton and Earl's Court in West London. Its full address is Empress State Building, Empress Approach, Lillie Road, West Brompton, London, SW6 1TR.
History of the Empress State Building
The building gets its name from the Empress Hall, which used to be on this very spot. It also pays tribute to the famous Empire State Building in New York. Builders worked on it between 1958 and 1961. It was built where the old Empress Hall and an ice rink once stood.
When it was first finished, the building was 100 meters (about 328 feet) tall and had 28 floors. It was designed by Stone, Toms & Partners. For a short time, it was the tallest commercial building in London. Then, the Millbank Tower was built in 1962 and became taller.
In 2003, the Empress State Building got a big makeover. Wilkinson Eyre Architects designed the changes. Three more floors were added, making it 17.3 meters (about 57 feet) taller. The top floor now has a private spinning bar called 'Orbit'. From here, you can see amazing views all over London.
This building was first planned to be a hotel. But instead, it was used by the British Admiralty (the part of the government that managed the navy) and GCHQ. GCHQ is a special agency that helps keep the UK safe by gathering secret information. In the 1980s and 90s, the national headquarters for naval communication teams were also in this building.
Metropolitan Police Offices
Today, the Empress State Building is home to many staff from the Metropolitan Police Service. This is London's main police force. They often call the building "ESB" for short.
One important part of the building is the assessment centre. This is where people who want to become police officers are tested. Some of the top floors were also used by staff from Transport for London until 2010. Transport for London manages London's public transport. There was also a small museum, the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre, at the entrance until January 2020.
In March 2018, the Mayor of London's office agreed to buy the building. They bought it from a company called Capco Plc for £250 million. The plan is to use it for police operations. It will become a new Counter Terrorism Operations Centre. This centre will bring together police and intelligence agencies to fight terrorism. Money for this big project was confirmed in November 2020. The building is expected to open in its new role by late 2025.
