Birmingham Library
Built 1973, demolished 2016
Designed by John Madin
In the 1950s Birmingham was the most successful city outside London. Pride and optimism fed into a grand vision for the city. Slums were cleared and land was compulsory purchased to be replaced by gleaming shopping centres, offices and a spaghetti junction.
This inverted ziggurat squatted in the heart of the city. The largest library outside a capital city in Europe. Windows were shielded by concrete steps so the light couldn’t damage the books. This gave the building its striking, monolithic look.
But as the library was being built, government policies were changing. Original proposals were cut back (stone became concrete), or never materialised. The civic centre, the bus interchange and six of the seven water gardens were never built.
Prince Charles said it looked like “a place where books are incinerated, not kept.”
And this helps explain why brutalism became unloved. Policies changed. Recessions hit. Visions were compromised. Corners were cut. Neglect was rife. Birmingham Central Library never had a chance.
