| Formerly: |
Oxo
Cold Storage Warehouse |
| Formerly: |
Post
Office Power Station |
| Built: |
~1800 |
| Renovated: |
1928 |
| Type: |
Multi-purpose facility |
| Location: |
Bargehouse
Street |
Originally
a power station, and later a cold storage warehouse,
the people who work here would probably frown on being
called a "mall." But the Oxo Tower Wharf complex is
a place for shopping, eating, and panoramic views
of the London skyline. It was reborn when the abandoned
warehouse was turned into shops and studios for local
artisans at a cost of £20,000,000.00. The site was
originally used to store the Royal barge of King James
I, which is why the address is "Bargehouse Street."
Later it served various purposes before the current
building was erected in the late 1800's. Then, it
was a power station, providing electricity for the
Royal Post. From 1928-1929 Albert W. Moore converted
the building into a cold storage warehouse. Though
he is widely credited for magnificently transforming
the building with art deco sensibilities, by the 1970's
it was abandoned and a decade later was threatened
with demolition. The community came to the tower's
rescue, and organized a campaign to save it. The reprieve
came in 1984, and in 1996 the re-born complex was
open to the public. Today the Oxo Tower has become
one of the signature landmarks of England's capital.
-
The
O-X-O letter, each ten feet tall, are actually windows
with light shining through them from inside the
building.
-
The
city of London objected to the original illuminated
sign for the building. It was shortened to simply
"OXO" and was approved because it could be interpreted
as a geometric design, not simply shameless promotion.
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