Leicester City Centre - Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers

During the 1960s and 1970s, many large concrete tower blocks were built in and around the city centre for residential and office purposes, like many other cities across the UK. Cardinal Telephone Exchange and St Georges Tower, at 84 metres and 82 metres high respectively, are the two tallest skyscrapers in the whole East Midlands region. Many housing association blocks, averaging 55 metres tall with 20 storeys, were also erected in various Council estates - four in Highfields, two in St Matthews and a further two in Rowlatts Hill.

However, in later years, most of Leicester's office towers became disused and abandoned, with the 58 metres tall Thames Tower never achieving more than 50% occupancy since it was completed. Simultaneously, the residential towers became negatively associated with crime and social deprivation. The four residential blocks in St Matthews and Rowlatts Hill were vacated and demolished by Leicester City Council in 2001.

Thames Tower and St Georges Tower were both refurbished and reclad in 2009 by private developers, for use as residential apartments and hotels. St Georges Tower was painted royal blue, turning it into a very distinctive local landmark, albeit one that attracted mass controversy due to its perceived ugliness and difference from the original architect's renders for the building's renovation.

The 55 metre-tall New Walk Centre has been occupied by the City Council since the 1970s, while the Cardinal Telephone Exchange is occupied by British Telecom.