Radio City Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Radio City Tower |
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Radio City Tower, in 2017
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| Alternative names | St John's Beacon St John's Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Open |
| Type | Radio station |
| Location | Liverpool, England, United Kingdom |
| Address | 1 Houghton Street Liverpool L1 1RL |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°24′23″N 2°58′55″W / 53.40639°N 2.98194°W |
| Current tenants | Bauer Liverpool Radio City Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West Greatest Hits Radio News North West Radio City News |
| Construction started | 1966 |
| Completed | 1969 |
| Opened | 1971 |
| Renovated | 1999-2000 |
| Cost | £5 Million (Refurbishment) |
| Owner | Bauer Radio Estates |
| Height | |
| Roof | 124.7 m (409 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | James A. Roberts Associates - Birmingham |
| Structural engineer | Scott Wilson Group (both original construction and refurbishment) |
| Other information | |
| Parking | St John's Shopping Centre |
The Radio City Tower (also known as St. John's Beacon) is a tall structure in Liverpool, England. It was built in 1969 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The tower was designed by James A. Roberts Associates.
It stands 125 metres (410 feet) tall. This makes it the second tallest free-standing building in Liverpool. If you include the 10-meter antenna on its roof, it becomes the tallest structure in the city. In 2020, the tower was given a special Grade II listing. This means it's an important historical building. It was recognized for its "space age" design.
The tower gets its name from the main radio station that broadcasts from it, Radio City. Its sister station, Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West, also uses the tower.
Contents
The Early Years: St. John's Beacon (1969–1999)
When it first opened, the top of the tower had a fancy revolving restaurant. The restaurant floor and outer walls slowly spun around. This gave diners a changing view of Liverpool. Above the restaurant was an observation deck where visitors could look out over the city.
To reach the top, there are 558 stairs. But don't worry, there are also two lifts that can take you to the top in just 30 seconds!
The tower is built on a strong foundation deep underground. It stands on its own, separate from the shopping centre next to it. The main part of the tower was built using a special method called "slip-formed concrete." This made the shaft (the tall, thin part) taper, or get narrower, as it went up. The "crows nest" part at the very top was added later.
The original restaurant closed in 1979. It reopened in the early 1980s with fewer seats and better fire safety. In 1983, it was changed into a "Buck Rogers" space-themed restaurant. But it closed again because not enough people visited. After that, both the restaurant and the observation deck stayed closed.
For many years, the tower was empty. Some people even called it an "eyesore." In 1994, blue "UFO style" neon lights were added to try and make it look better. These lights were later removed.
In 1998, a radio company called Emap Radio became interested in the tower. They wanted to fix it up and use it for their radio stations, Radio City and Magic 1548. They announced their plans to the public. While waiting for the work to start, Radio City sometimes broadcast from the tower. They also broadcast during a special Lightshow Festival in 1999. During this festival, many different coloured lights shone from the tower.
Work on the tower began in 1999 and finished in the summer of 2000.
Radio City Tower Today (1999-present)
The tower was renovated in 1999. This cost about £5 million. It reopened in August 2000 as the home of Radio City 96.7 and Magic 1548. The old outdoor observation deck was turned into a second floor. This floor now has offices and meeting rooms for the radio stations. The main radio studios are on the lower floor, where the restaurant used to be. The original spinning parts of the restaurant were kept, but they were locked in place.
The tower is designed to sway a little in strong winds. This might sound strange, but it's a clever design feature for tall buildings. It helps prevent the tower from breaking or cracking in bad weather.
During the renovation, the words Radio City 96.7 were added between the first and second floors. These letters glow yellow at night. Other lights were added to the base of the "crows nest" structure. These lights shine all day and change colours. Around Christmas, a beam of light is shone from the base of the tower. The windows on the second floor are often lit up with a special colour to mark certain events. A red light on top of the tower warns planes of its height at night.
The refurbishment also added a special frame at the top of the tower. This frame is used for advertising banners and lit-up signs.
Cleaning the windows of the tower is a special job. Teams of experts have to abseil (climb down using ropes) the side of the tower. They clean the windows and change light bulbs in the Radio City signs.
The roof of the tower is used for local digital radio broadcasts. However, Radio City and Greatest Hits Radio North West don't actually broadcast their main FM signals from the roof. Their signals are sent from a different transmitter located in Allerton Park.
In 2017, a tech company called Scan And Make held an art contest exhibition in the Radio City offices. In 2018, a banner was displayed on the tower's advertising frame. It said “Liverpool 2018” to celebrate 10 years since Liverpool was the Capital of Culture.
Radio City Talk stopped broadcasting on May 31, 2020. This was because not many people were listening, so it wasn't making enough money. As of September 2020, the tower is still home to the local studios for Radio City and Greatest Hits Radio North West.
St John's Beacon Viewing Gallery
In 2010, the first floor of the Radio City Tower (St John's Beacon) was opened to the public full-time. Visitors can pay a small fee, usually around £5–£6, to go up. Once inside, you can stay as long as you like. The gallery offers an amazing 360-degree panoramic view of Liverpool. You can see the city from 452 feet above Houghton Street! However, visitors cannot walk all the way around the building. This is because news offices for Radio City and Greatest Hits Radio North West take up part of the space. Even so, you still get a full 360-degree view.
Radio Stations at the Tower
When the tower reopened, Radio City and Magic 1548 started broadcasting from it. The tower was designed with three main studios and a smaller studio for recording and news.
In 2008, another station called City Talk 105.9 began broadcasting from Studio 3. Radio City used Studio 2, and Magic used Studio 1.
In 2015, there were some big changes to local radio stations. Magic 1548 became Radio City 2. City Talk 105.9 became Radio City Talk and swapped places with Radio City 2 on the radio dial. A new station, Radio City 3, also launched. This station didn't need its own studio in the tower. Its shows came from Manchester, but it played local adverts and news. Radio City 3 was later removed in 2017.
Today, Radio City is part of the Hits Radio Network. It still broadcasts its two local shows from Studio 2 in the tower.
In January 2019, a new station called Greatest Hits Radio started across the UK. This meant that Radio City 2 became GHR Liverpool, North West and North Wales. Many of Greatest Hits Radio's national shows, like the breakfast and evening shows, came from Studio 1 in the tower.
As mentioned before, Radio City Talk stopped broadcasting on May 31, 2020. In September 2020, Greatest Hits Radio changed again. The North Wales part was dropped, and it became Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool and The North West. Studio 1 in the tower still broadcasts the national weekday breakfast and evening shows, as well as weekend content.
Zip-Wire Idea That Didn't Happen
In June 2020, there was a plan for a new zip-wire ride in Liverpool. It would have started from the second floor of the Radio City Tower. The ride would have ended at Liverpool's Central Library. This project would have cost £4 million.
People had mixed feelings about the idea. Many thought it would permanently change the look of a famous city landmark. Some library users were also worried that the noise from the zip wire would disturb people trying to read or study.
The plan went to the City Council for approval. On June 30, 2020, the plans were approved. However, on September 2, 2020, Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson decided to withdraw permission for the zip wire to use the Central Library. This effectively stopped the project from going ahead.
See also
In Spanish: Radio City Tower para niños
