Westgate House, Newcastle upon Tyne
Encyclopedia
Westgate House was a 46 metre (150 ft) office
block that was situated on Westgate Road opposite Newcastle Central Station in the Grainger Town
of Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. The 12 storey Brutalist
building was completed in 1972.
It was demolished in the latter half of 2006 and January 2007 by its owners, development agency OneNorthEast, although its neighbour Norwich Union House that will allow for the site's redevelopment is still awaiting demolition. Demolition started off slowly at first as a result of the unique construction method used on the 11th floor, which was a plant room, and the 12th floor which was stronger than other floors because of the roof slab. Demolition was completed upon the removal of the 'stilts' at the base of the building.
It was planned for the building to be reclad and to convert the building into a 140 bedroom, 4 star hotel. If approved, it would have cost an estimated £5 million, however, the development did not get proposed.
It was featured on the Channel 4
television series
, Demolition
where it was voted as one of twelve buildings to be demolished. However, in BBC News Magazine, it was nominated as an 'unsung landmark'.
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
block that was situated on Westgate Road opposite Newcastle Central Station in the Grainger Town
Grainger Town
Grainger Town is the historic heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.Based around classical streets built by Richard Grainger, a builder and developer, between 1824 and 1841, some of Newcastle upon Tyne's finest buildings and streets lie within the Grainger Town area of the City centre including...
of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The 12 storey Brutalist
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
building was completed in 1972.
It was demolished in the latter half of 2006 and January 2007 by its owners, development agency OneNorthEast, although its neighbour Norwich Union House that will allow for the site's redevelopment is still awaiting demolition. Demolition started off slowly at first as a result of the unique construction method used on the 11th floor, which was a plant room, and the 12th floor which was stronger than other floors because of the roof slab. Demolition was completed upon the removal of the 'stilts' at the base of the building.
It was planned for the building to be reclad and to convert the building into a 140 bedroom, 4 star hotel. If approved, it would have cost an estimated £5 million, however, the development did not get proposed.
It was featured on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, Demolition
Demolition (TV series)
Demolition is a 2005 television series from Channel 4, which can be seen as being the reverse of the BBC's 2003 series Restoration. The public were encouraged to vote for buildings which they want demolished and replaced, with 12 buildings making The Dirty Dozen.The show was shown on four days,...
where it was voted as one of twelve buildings to be demolished. However, in BBC News Magazine, it was nominated as an 'unsung landmark'.