55 Broadway is a notable building overlooking Saint James's Park in London. It was designed by Charles Holden and built between 1927–29. It was built as a new headquarters building for the London Electric Railway Company (LER), the main forerunner of London Underground. The building continues to be occupied as the organisation's headquarters.

Faced with Portland stone, the upper office floors of the building are on a cruciform plan, stepping back towards the central clock tower at the top. The ground floor contains a shopping arcade and many art deco details. The whole building is built on top of St. James's Park tube station. When finished it was the tallest office building in London, until another Holden building, the University of London's Senate House, took the accolade.

On each elevation, the pediment above the seventh floor is decorated with a relief, collectively known as 'the four winds', although the four points of the compass are repeated twice for a total of eight reliefs. Each relief was carved by an avante-garde sculptor of the day.

Above the two main entrances are a matched pair of sculptures, Day and Night by Jacob Epstein. The modernism and graphic nakedness of these sculptures created public outrage on their unveiling. Newspapers started a campaign to have the statues removed and one company director even offered to pay the cost.

Frank Pick, the managing director of the LER at the time, took overall responsibility and offered his resignation over the scandal. In the end, Epstein agreed to remove a couple of inches from the penis of the smaller figure on Day and ultimately the furore died down.

Reportedly, the function suite at the top of the building is the only part of London Underground property where alcohol may be consumed.

Commissioned art work

• Day and Night, Jacob Epstein
• North Wind, A.H. Gerard
• North Wind, Eric Gill
• East Wind, Eric Gill
• East Wind, Allan Wyon
• South Wind, Eric Gill
• South Wind, Eric Aumonier
• West Wind, Samuel Rabinovich
• West Wind, Henry Moore

North Wind, by Eric Gill

West Wind by Samuel Rabinovich

West Wind by Henry Moore

External links

• London's Transport Museum Photographic Archive
  • Building
    • 1920s illustration of buildings demolished to construct 55 Broadway
    • 1920s illustration of 55 Broadway
    • 55 Broadway, 1930
    • The Library, 1952
  • Sculptures
    • Epstein's Day
    • Epstein's Night
    • Gerard's North Wind
    • Gill's North Wind
    • Gill's East Wind
    • Wyon's East Wind
    • Aumonier's South Wind
    • Gill's South Wind
    • Moore's West Wind
    • Rabinovich's West Wind
    • Henry Moore carving West Wind, 1928
    • Jacob Epstein with Night during its carving, 1929

References

• Modern Architectural Sculpture, Ed. William Aumonier, The Architectural Press, London 1930

Coordinates: 51°29′58″N 0°08′01″W / 51.49944, -0.13361

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 14 October 2008, at 07:15.

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