This former Daily Express Building
bears a striking resemblance to the Daily
Express building the architect designed for
Fleet Street, London in 1931 (see below) ....
and the one in Glasgow in 1936. When I rode past
this building once a week in the early 1960s,
you could look into the triple height press room
and see the presses. Apparently it was
affectionately known as the "Black Lubianka",
thanks to its dark glass facade.
The building has been extended on four
occasions.
The Daily
Express left the building a long time ago and
it has been converted into both commercial and
residential applications. In 2006 it was sold
for £20 Million to A&A Investments, an
American company based in Washington DC.
Sir Owen
Williams was described as being more of an
engineer than an architect but he certainly
had a distinguished career. He was appointed
as the chief consulting civil engineer to the
British Empire Exhibition, which included the
old Wembley Stadium, in 1923. He received a
knighthood for his services in 1924.
His other work
included the Dorchester Hotel, the Boots
pharmaceutical factory in Nottinghamshire, the
Daily Express Buildings, the M1 Motorway and
Spaghetti Junction.
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