Congress House is the headquarters of the Trades Union Congress

Trades Union Congress

The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...

 (TUC), a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 organisation that represents most of the UK's trade unions.

In 1948 David du Roi Aberdeen won an architectural competition to design the new TUC headquarters building in Great Russell Street, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Staff began to move into the offices in 1956 and the building was officially opened in 1958. The building is Grade II* listed.

Congress House was officially opened on 27 March 1958 along with the unveiling of the sculpture by Jacob Epstein

Jacob Epstein

Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...

, intended as a memorial to the dead trade unionists of both world wars, in the courtyard.