West Point (building) explained

West Point
Former Names:Royal Mail House
Alternate Names:West Central
Building Type:Tower block
Ren Cost:£72 m
Address:29 Wellington St.
Location Town:Leeds
Location Country:United Kingdom
Coordinates:53.796°N -1.5537°W
Completion Date:1975
Renovation Date:2003-2006
Floor Count:17
Ren Firm:careyjones architects
Ren Qty Surveyor:Michael Eyres

West Point, formerly known as Royal Mail House, is a tall 17-floor residential tower block located at number 29 of Wellington Street in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was conceived as a landmark building in the skyline and a key gateway building to the city, and the start of redevelopment of the west part of the city.[1]

Construction

The site was occupied by the 1975 Royal Mail building. The old building was mostly demolished in 2003 and the central core stripped to the bare skeleton and rebuilt, with additional wings added from scratch to the central block, giving it a T plan. While the initial intention was to use traditional bonded brick facing (in accord with the later development of the Leeds Look and the adjacent Conservation Area), the old skeleton would not support the weight so instead terracotta tiles were used on this portion, of a size and appearance similar to the brick coursing in the new build. The portions with the lifts and stairs were clad with metal as an architectural expression and to signal the change of use.[1] The southwest side (bordering Northern Street) is closed off by a blue engineering brick wall, and a lower rise podium building with turquoise cladding.[1] The development contains 363 residential units above 17500square feet of leisure and retail space.[2]

When first opened it was called West Central.[1] [3]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Wainwright, Martin . 2009 . Leeds: Shaping the City . London . . 52–3 . 9781 85946 2447 .
  2. Web site: City Living in Leeds - 2007. Rachael Unsworth. School of Geography, University of Leeds. 8. 16 August 2018.
  3. News: . Appointments . Yorkshire Evening Post . 16 May 2007 . 16 August 2018 .