40-476: Centenary Square is a public square on the north side of Broad Street in Birmingham , England, named in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status . The area was an industrial area of small workshops and canal wharves before it was purchased by the council in the 1920s for the creation of a grand civic centre scheme to include museums, council offices, cathedral and opera house. The scheme
80-450: A Persian Rug. Jaray was assisted by Tom Lomax . It had originally been planned for Jaray to design paving for the interior of the convention centre. Lomax designed the Spirit of Enterprise fountain which stood in the centre of the square, David Patten designed Industry and Genius an artwork dedicated to John Baskerville , located outside Baskerville House . As the centrepiece to the square
120-602: A basic plan was made by S. N. Cooke , A.J. Swann and the City Engineer Hubert Humphries. In 1936 after Winfields Rolling Mill ceased operations the Gibsons Arm could be infilled paving way for the construction of Baskerville House which was completed in 1938–40. The Second World War halted any further development of the Civic Centre and it remained unbuilt. In 1940-41 William Haywood produced another design for
160-454: A fountain and several sculptures. During the construction and opening of the Library of Birmingham on the square in 2013 several of the elements of the 1991 design were removed and a library amphitheatre was built into the square. In 2014 a design competition was held to redesign the square. Construction of the redesigned square began in 2017 and was largely complete in 2019. The square is used as
200-462: A line of residential towers linked by a municipal office podium on the north side. The Crescent Wharf tower blocks north of Cambridge Street by the City Architect, Alan Maudsley , in 1968 are a much modified version of its proposed towers. Bingley Hall which stood at the western end of the square was damaged by fire in 1984. The city council used this as an opportunity to develop the western end of
240-510: A redevelopment of Five Ways Shopping Centre . 52°28′40″N 1°54′40″W / 52.4777°N 1.9111°W / 52.4777; -1.9111 Alwyn Sheppard Fidler Alwyn Gwilym Sheppard Fidler CBE (8 May 1909 – 1990) was a Welsh architect and town planner who was chief architect for the new town of Crawley from 1947 to 1952 and was the first person to be appointed City Architect of Birmingham , where he remained from 1952 to 1964. Alwyn Gwilym Sheppard Fidler
280-424: A result of its widening, it was named Broad Street. St Martin's Church owned land on the southern end of Broad Street, at what is now Five Ways, and began to develop the land in 1773 after the passing of an Act of Parliament . The 22-acre (8.9 ha) site was developed into an estate known as the 'Six Closes' or the 'Islington Estate' (named after Islington Row which bounded the south of the site). The Crown Inn
320-680: A son together. Fidler was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1963. He died on 4 January 1990 of a cardiovascular disease. By 1937, Fidler had become chief architect to the Land Settlement Association , supported by the Carnegie Trust , designed to resettle the workers who had become unemployed when industry had taken a downturn. The following year he moved to be chief architect for Barclay's Bank . After
360-477: A staging area for many of the city's main cultural events including the Frankfurt Christmas Market , Arts Festivals, Remembrance Day Services, New Year's Celebrations and during Christmas hosts a temporary ice rink and Ferris wheel . The area where Centenary Square is today was an area of high density housing in the late 18th century. In 1745 John Baskerville built his own home, Easy Hill House in
400-464: A well established neighbourhood as a result of the connections with industry and Edgbaston, an upmarket area. In the 19th century, well established industries were established along the canals at the northern end of the street and residential properties were built at the southern end. Churches of various denominations were also built along the stretch of Broad Street, such as the Unitarian Church of
440-451: Is served by several National Express West Midlands bus routes. The road's only night bus service ceased in 2008. The West Midlands Metro was extended along Broad Street to Five Ways between 2015 and 2019 with stops at Birmingham Library , Brindleyplace and Five Ways. The proposed SPRINT bus rapid transit route between Birmingham and Quinton would also serve Broad Street. At its northern end is: A 'Walk of Stars', similar to
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#1732852846397480-521: The Brindleyplace development and cultural attractions such as the Ikon Gallery . Three major radio stations - Free Radio , Capital Birmingham and 100.7 Heart FM - have their studios on the street. From 1969 to 1999 the area was a major national television production facility. The junction with Paradise Circus was home to the studios of former ITV companies ATV and Central ; the studios (on
520-610: The Hollywood Walk of Fame , runs along the pavement on Broad Street. Ozzy Osbourne , of the Aston area of Birmingham, became the first person to be honoured when he had his brass star installed on 6 July 2007. Since then comedian Jasper Carrott , glam rocker Noddy Holder , motor racing commentator Murray Walker , the cast and crew of BBC Radio 4 's The Archers , long serving Archers cast member Norman Painting and founding member of Black Sabbath , Tony Iommi have all been honoured on
560-591: The Landscape Institute on behalf of Birmingham City Council in October 2014 to find a design to transform the square. Funding for the competition and development of the square has come from the GBSLEP . £5 million for construction costs has been allocated for the scheme with extra funding for design fees. Project Management and Quantity Surveying will be provided by Acivico Ltd and the contractor will be procured through
600-570: The 1500s, the area which is now known as Broad Street was made up of several schools and guilds such as The Biddles/Free School, Colmore, Shillon/Smallbrooke Guild/School, Billwiggler Croft and Byngas Hall which was later to become a home for the Lloyds Bank family and subsequently Bingley Hall and then Symphony Hall /ICC after Bingley Hall burned down. In the 1750s, Broad Street was an unnamed country path that ran across Easy Hill from Bewdley Street (now Victoria Square ) and Swinford Street (now
640-510: The Constructing West Midlands (CWM) Framework agreement. In stage two, five shortlisted designs will be given a £5,000 honorarium to develop and present their designs to a judging panel and public consultation. On 13 January 2015 five shortlisted proposals were chosen from 185 entries, these were from Atkins , Barton Willmore, Broadway Malyan , Graeme Massie Architects and Open Studio. The overall winner, Graeme Massie Architects,
680-669: The Messiah , the Roman Catholic St Peter's Church, and the Anglican Immanuel Church . In the 1970s and 1980s, Broad Street was still very much a suburban high street. However, one prescient early manifestation of the street's future purpose as a fashionable partying district was the Rum Runner nightclub, which from the late 1970s restyled itself after New York City 's Studio 54 and later London's Blitz club. The club
720-490: The civic centre, centred on a 42 metre high column topped by a 10 ft statue representing the Spirit of Birmingham. The incomplete Baskerville House would form the east wing of a U-shaped court. The council adopted the design in 1944 and William Bloye produced a maquette on the statue in 1948, but the next year it was abandoned as too expensive. In 1958, Alwyn Sheppard Fidler produced a less formal layout with water features and
760-576: The entire building project. Bus services stop frequently at the square, and in December 2019, the West Midlands Metro was extended to terminate at Library of Birmingham . The line has since been extended to Edgbaston Village. Broad Street, Birmingham Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot centre in Central Birmingham , England . Traditionally, Broad Street
800-470: The general area of where now stands Baskerville House . The property comprised a house and outbuildings with formal gardens surrounding it. When John Baskerville died in 1775 he was buried within the grounds of his house. The house passed into the hands of John Ryland in 1788 and in 1791 when it was sacked and burned down by a riotous mob during the Priestley Riots . The house was demolished soon after it
840-459: The land between the Alpha Tower and the former Birmingham Municipal Bank ) have since been demolished. There is long standing concern over traffic congestion in the evenings when car drivers attracted by the nightlife are cruising the area. There was a proposal to ban cars during Friday and Saturday evenings and in 1998 there was a plan to ban cars every evening after 8.00 pm. Broad Street
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#1732852846397880-648: The launch of the official emblem. The square is bounded to the north by Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971), Library of Birmingham (2013) and Baskerville House (1938). The western edge of the square is defined by the International Convention Centre (1991), Symphony Hall (1992) and Hyatt Hotel (1990). To the south of the square is Broad Street beyond which are the Birmingham Municipal Bank headquarters (1933), One Centenary Square (2018) and Alpha Tower (1972). The southern side of
920-516: The square into the International Convention Centre and Birmingham Symphony Hall , which opened in 1991 and 1992 respectively. To complement the International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall the square was redeveloped in 1989 and renamed Centenary Square to commemorate 100 year since Birmingham attained city status. The £3.5 million construction of Centenary Way, a bridge across the Inner Ring Road linking Paradise Circus to Centenary Square
960-582: The square is earmarked for redevelopment as part of the Arena Central scheme. To the east across Centenary Way is the Copthorne Hotel (1987) and One Centenary Way, currently under construction as part of the Paradise development. All sculptures commissioned for the square in 1989-1991 were paid for by the "Per Cent For Arts" scheme which only pays toward building costs if public sculpture forms at least 1% of
1000-531: The street with a star. Other famous local people nominated to do the same include Frank Skinner , Cat Deeley and Duran Duran a group that at the start of the 1980s based themselves in the Rum Runner nightclub situated in Broad Street but which has subsequently been knocked down to make way for the Hyatt Hotel. Developments planned for the street include Broad Street Tower , Regal Tower , V Building and
1040-423: The top end of New Street ) to Five Ways and on to Stourbridge and Bewdley . However, in the following years, Easy Hill began to develop with the construction of a house by John Baskerville , a local printer and type-face designer. This led to the widening of the street which passed in front of his house. The path was soon removed and an established street was added that ran to the border of Edgbaston and, as
1080-500: Was Forward an artwork named after the city motto, designed by Raymond Mason the sculpture stood on a podium centrally within the square. The square officially opened in 1991. As part of the millennium celebrations a beacon named the Flame of Hope was erected between The Rep and Baskerville House. Cliff Richard lit the flame during the inaugural ceremony; however funding problems led to the "perpetual" flame being regularly turned off and it
1120-455: Was abandoned after the arrival of World War II with only the Hall of Memory and half of the planned Baskerville House complete. After the war the scheme was revived in a simpler form however the council never managed to implement the design. In 1991 the square was redesigned to complement the new International Convention Centre with new paving, railings and lamps designed by artist Tess Jaray ,
1160-555: Was announced in June 2015. Construction work on the winning scheme commenced in April 2017, with a planned completion date of late 2018. Due to the recent terror attacks in Europe new security features are to be incorporated into the design of the square. These features have resulted in the chopping down of a mature 90 year old London Plane tree sited on the edge of the square and Broad Street. A campaign
1200-527: Was best known as the original home base of major 1980s band Duran Duran . It was situated on the South side at the East end of the road from 1964 to 1987 when it was demolished. During the 1990s, Broad Street was transformed into a dynamic convention, entertainment and nightlife quarter, centred on the International Convention Centre , which opened in 1991. The Broad Street area is home to numerous bars and restaurants,
1240-520: Was born in Holywell, Flintshire on 8 May 1909. His father, William Ernest Fidler was a schoolteacher and his mother was Phoebe Maud, née Williams. He attended Holywell grammar school as a child. In 1927 he studied architecture under Charles Reilly and Patrick Abercrombie at the University of Liverpool. Fidler married Margaret Isabella Kidner on 1 January 1936 at St Bride’s Parish Church, Liverpool . They had
Centenary Square - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-462: Was built in 1781, and survives in modified form. By 1795, several streets had been created according to Pye's map. One of the streets that remain from the development is Tennant Street, named after William Tennant who had the advowson of St Martin's Church. Development slowed as a result of overseas wars, but rapidly increased after the Battle of Waterloo . Land along the street also developed and became
1320-410: Was cleared by the council in the 1920s to form the open space of what is now Centenary Square. The first building to be completed was the Hall of Memory and its associated colonnade in 1925, to facilitate this the southern arm of Baskerville Wharf was infilled. In 1926 a competition assessed by Henry Vaughan Lanchester was won by Maximilian Romanoff of Paris, but his scheme was judged too expensive and
1360-679: Was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road , Broad Street has been incorporated into the new Westside district of the city centre due to its position within the A4540 road . Broad Street is also the centre of Birmingham's banking and financial centre. It can boast region head offices of Lloyds Banking Group , Royal Bank of Scotland , Deutsche Bank , HSBC and many other banking organisations. More than 15,000 people are employed in this sector, in this area of Birmingham. In
1400-413: Was cut into the area where the Hall of Memory now stands. In 1918, William Haywood published the book The Development of Birmingham within which he proposed a scheme to create a grand civic centre west of Victoria Square . The original concept had provision for a cathedral, two exhibition halls, Natural History Museum, War Museum and memorial, Opera House, new post office and formal gardens. The area
1440-400: Was essential in creating an uninterrupted pedestrian route with the city centre, pedestrians previously had to cross beneath the road in an underground subway. The colonnade at the western end of the square was relocated to St. Thomas' Peace Garden . Artist Tess Jaray designed the railings, street furniture and paving for the square which included 525,000 pavers to be laid out in the design of
1480-600: Was launched by local supporters of the tree to save it. However the city council insisted it had to go to ensure the security arrangements for the square and the introduction of the metro line to Broad Street could both go ahead. The tree was chopped down in February 2017. on 27 July 2019, The square will be part of the Commonwealth Social festival to mark three years to go for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, include
1520-405: Was ransacked. An iron merchant named Gibson purchased the land in 1821 and cut a canal arm through the site in order to increase his mill business on Cambridge Street. The canal was completed in 1825 which in turn encouraged the expansion of other businesses and other canal arms were cut into what is now Centenary Square and the area became one of high density industrial buildings. Baskerville Wharf
1560-462: Was removed for the construction of the Library of Birmingham . The Forward statue was removed after being destroyed by arson on 17 April 2003. A statue of King Edward VII by Albert Toft was relocated from Highgate Park to the square in November 2010 where it now stands outside Baskerville House. During the construction of the Library of Birmingham in 2010–13, the Spirit of Enterprise fountain
1600-506: Was removed to storage permanently at the Museum's Collection Centre. In the place where the fountain once stood an amphitheatre was created as part of the library which is accessed through the library. In the newly created lawns outside the library the statue A Real Birmingham Family was unveiled in 2014 designed by Gillian Wearing . An international design competition was held through the RIBA and
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