No. 1 Croydon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids No. 1 Croydon |
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No. 1 Croydon looking east
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| Former names | NLA Tower |
| General information | |
| Address | 12-16 Addiscombe Road |
| Town or city | East Croydon, Greater London |
| Country | England |
| Completed | 1970 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Richard Seifert & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Triton |
No. 1 Croydon is a famous tall building in Croydon, Greater London, England. It stands at 12–16 Addiscombe Road, right next to East Croydon station. This building was designed by Richard Seifert & Partners. It was finished in 1970.
The building has 24 floors and is about 82 meters (269 feet) tall. It was once called the NLA Tower. 'NLA' stood for 'Noble Lowndes Annuities'. No. 1 Croydon was one of many new buildings built in the 1960s. At that time, Croydon was growing very fast.
About No. 1 Croydon
No. 1 Croydon is known by a few fun nicknames. People sometimes call it the 50p Building or the Weddingcake. Another old nickname was the Threepenny bit building. These names come from its unique shape.
The building's design makes it look like a stack of coins. The floors are shaped like an octagon, which means they have eight sides. This makes it look a bit like the old threepence coins or the modern 50p coins stacked up.
A Big Makeover
In 2007, No. 1 Croydon got a big makeover. This project cost more than £3.5 million. It took six months just to clean the outside of the building. The inside also got new areas like the lobby.
The top ten floors were updated to be modern offices. These offices have air conditioning. Before the makeover, some people thought the building wasn't very pretty. A company called Triton helped with the cleaning and repairs.
Who Works There?
Many different companies and groups have offices in No. 1 Croydon. Some of these include Atkins, Directline holidays, HotGen, dotdigital, Natterbox, and Global Resourcing.
In November 2014, a Sainsbury's Local shop opened at the building. It was built in what used to be a courtyard on the north side. This new part became a section of the building itself. Some people had concerns about how it looked. There were also worries about its closeness to the Tramlink tracks.
Fun Nicknames
No. 1 Croydon has had different nicknames over the years. When it was first built, people called it the Threepenny Bit Building. This was because it looked like several threepence coins stacked up. These coins were 12-sided.
After these coins were no longer used, the building got a new nickname. It became known as the 50p Building. This is because it also looks like a stack of the modern 50p pieces. These coins have seven sides. People also call it The Wedding Cake because of its layered look.
Protecting History
There has been an effort to get No. 1 Croydon officially listed. Being "listed" means a building is recognized as important. This would help protect it from changes or being knocked down. The Twentieth Century Society supported this idea. However, English Heritage decided not to list it in 2013.
