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Centenary Square development 2017-18

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ellbrown

ellbrown

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The redevelopment of Centenary Square.

This photo from the library was taken at the beginning of July 2017.



And this was at the beginning of May.

 
did not realise the extent of what is going on ell...do hope the lovely flower beds round the hall of memory are replanted..

lyn
 
They will have to dig up the bricks on the areas still open to the public eventually.

Saw seagulls and pigeons fighting over food in the square yesterday (somebody must have left bread or chips for them). Think the seagulls were winning!

Only one entrance from the railings near Broad Street was open. Then you have to walk onto the road (separated by barriers as if a motorsport event was happening here!).
 
Any roadworks you see are for the new Midland Metro lines / extensions. Moving underground pipes. Same for Broad Street and Digbeth. Hopefully the various sites along Bradford Street will get developed sooner rather than later. You may have seen sites on Bradford Street already in development.
 
The "Real Family" statue seems to have gone, I hope if it has, they don't put it back.
There was an "eternal flame" there some years ago...it didn't last long did it!!
The area around the Hall of Memory was sometimes dangerous because of the cyclists taking a short-cut and also the skateboarders.
 
The Centenary Square site seen from above from the Secret Garden at the Library of Birmingham.

 
November view from the Discovery Terrace of Centenary Square. The area between the Hall of Memory and the libraries amphitheatre is now blocked off.

 
Viv are you going to create a new Centenary Square thread?

This was yesterday's view from the Secret Garden at the Library of Birmingham.

 
Going back to the 1980s this is how the square looked just as the Conference Cemtre was being built. The Colonnade was still in place. Screenshots taken from this short video.


Viv.
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The last Centenary Square redevelopment (when it got it's name) was in 1989.

It was like this in 2009, still stepped around 6 years after the Forward sculpture was destroyed (I don't even remember seeing it myself).



After the Library of Birmingham opened, the area in front looked like this from 2013 to 2017.



In 2013 before the Arena Central development started.

 
So many changes over the short space of 20/30 years.

This part of B'ham seems to have struggled to reach completion in terms of its identity going as far back as the grand plan of the 1930s. That civic centre plan (pic below) had lots of potential and would have been a great asset.

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What was the name of Centenary Square pre-1989 ? Viv.
 
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The Forward statue in 1999 - for those who miss it ! Viv.image.jpeg
Image from Birmingham Mail archives.
 
Looking at #14 there are various buildings behind the Civic building on Broad Street. Directly behind is a glittering structure (Hotel?), then panning right a flatter building, then one with "+" signs all over it (Mailbox?). Grateful to know what they are. Thanks. Dave.
 
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The drawing in post #18 has two Halls of Memory. Maybe WW2 or a future war was anticipated in 1935 when the drawing was produced. Or maybe it was simply to maintain the symmetry of the the plan. Viv.
 
farmerdave said:
Looking at #15 there are various buildings behind the Civic building on Broad Street. Directly behind is a glittering structure (Hotel?), then panning right a flatter building, then one with "+" signs all over it (Mailbox?). Grateful to know what they are. Thanks. Dave.
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1 Centenary Square (under construction for HSBC UK), Holiday Inn Express. Arena Central site.



Centenary Plaza / Nitenite Cityrooms and The Cube (near The Mailbox).



and the Hyatt Hotel.

 
Thanks Ellbrown. The Hyatt looks very impressive but I think that's been there a year or two. Hotel rooms are well sound-insulated these days so I expect that they don't get too much noise from all the building work outside. Dave.
 
Can't believe the HSBC building is being built so close to the lovely grade 2 listed Alpha Tower. I bet the staff working in the offices are right peed off about loosing their view!
 
Frothblower said:
Can't believe the HSBC building is being built so close to the lovely grade 2 listed Alpha Tower. I bet the staff working in the offices are right peed off about loosing their view!
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i was saying the same thing froth when i went to the library last week...what a mess it all looks...seems to me as though they are building very close to other buildings so close that the workers in one building could swap their sarnies with the workers in the other building at break time..:D. its looking like a tin of sardines in town...
 
The concrete lined round hole in the last pic in post #11 looks to be in about the same position as the fountain in this 1960s/70s Shoothill view of the area.

And thinking a bit more about the name of this area pre Centenary Square, was it once called 'Peace Gardens' or something similar owing to the Hall of Memory and The Colonnade ? Viv.
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farmerdave said:
Thanks Ellbrown. The Hyatt looks very impressive but I think that's been there a year or two. Hotel rooms are well sound-insulated these days so I expect that they don't get too much noise from all the building work outside. Dave.
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The Hyatt opened around 1990 I think. It has a link bridge to Symphony Hall which is used when a political conference is on (e.g you may see politicians crossing it on TV).
 
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