| Birmingham Central Library | |
|---|---|
 Birmingham Central Library in 2013 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Public library |
| Architectural style | Brutalist |
| Location | Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°28′49.07″N 1°54′17.17″W / 52.4802972°N 1.9047694°W |
| Construction started | April 1969 |
| Completed | December 1973 |
| Opening | 12 January 1974 |
| Closed | 29 June 2013 |
| Demolished | 2016 |
| Cost | 4.7 million Pound sterling |
| Owner | Birmingham City Council |
| Height | 22.6 metres (74 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Floor area | 224,918 square feet (20,895.6 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Madin |
| Architecture firm | John Madin Design Group |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| Services engineer | R.W. Gregory & Partners |
| Quantity surveyor | L.C. Wakeman & Partners |
| Main contractor | Sir Robert McAlpine |
Birmingham Central Library was the main public library in Birmingham, England, from 1974 until 2013, replacing a library opened in 1865 and rebuilt in 1882. For a time the largest non-national library in Europe,[1] it closed on 29 June 2013 and was replaced by the Library of Birmingham. The building was demolished in 2016, after 41 years, as part of the redevelopment of Paradise Circus by Argent Group.[2] Designed by architect John Madin in the brutalist style, the library was part of an ambitious development project by Birmingham City Council to create a civic centre on its new Inner Ring Road system; however, for economic reasons significant parts of the master plan were not completed, and quality was reduced on materials as an economic measure. Two previous libraries occupied the adjacent site before Madin's library opened in 1974. The previous library, designed by John Henry Chamberlain, opened in 1883 and featured a tall clerestoried reading room. It was demolished in 1974 after the new library had opened.
Despite the original vision not being fully implemented, the library gained architectural praise as an icon of British brutalism with its stark use of concrete, bold geometry, inverted ziggurat sculptural form and monumental scale. Its style was seen at the time as a symbol of social progressivism.[3] Based on this, English Heritage applied but failed twice for the building to gain listed status. However, due to strong opposition from Birmingham City Council the building gained immunity from listing until 2016.[4][5]
In 2010–11, Central Library was the second-most visited library in the country, with 1,197,350 visitors.[6]
- ^ "Preston bus station on UK monument 'at risk' list". BBC News. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2011.; "Birmingham Central Library". English Heritage. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Birmingham Central Library demolition set to begin in January". BBC News. 10 December 2014.
- ^ British Brutalism – World Monuments Fund, September 2012
- ^ Birmingham Central Library, English Heritage, 23 November 2009
- ^ Immunity from Listing, Birmingham City Council, 2011, archived from the original on 9 August 2016, retrieved 31 May 2021
- ^ Latest Public Library Statistics Released, CIPFA, October 2011, archived from the original on 29 October 2013, retrieved 12 November 2011