Get Carter Car Park demolished

[CortinaDave]

I see after arguing about it for years they're finally tearing down the Gateshead Get Carter car park. Shame!

 

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/u ... rk/3724147

 

http://vimeo.com/user4393708

[pompei]

Apparently there was also a cafe on the roof which was little used ...

 

And I hear that Ringo's childhood house in Liverpool is also to be demolished.

 

Peace and Love

[scaryoldcortina]

There was... Cafe never used though, it turned out to be impossibly dangerous even when new (and not falling to bits) because this skyway

wasn't properly tied into the main structure. How shite is that?

I shall try and get past and get a "now" picture - I went by on sunday, they had about a quarter down and cranes everywhere, but no camera.

[Station]

The only difference between that and the monstrosities that are built today is the colour. Liverpool's recently constructed horror bags are identical to that, they're just a different colour concrete.

[CortinaDave]

I feel sorry for Owen luder, the bloke who designed it. He apparently turned up for a last look round the day they started knocking it down and is gutted. Almost all of his spectacularly shitey buildings have been knocked down now, despite winning awards at the time.

[retrogeezer]

what a shame....

[trigger]

I don't know much about it about from seeing it in the film, There's lots of photos of it on flickr though.

 

 

[Station]

Wouldn't it be ironic if that 'dodgy' part of the car park was really difficult to knock down.

[AnthonyG]

I feel sorry for Owen luder, the bloke who designed it. He apparently turned up for a last look round the day they started knocking it down and is gutted. Almost all of his spectacularly shitey buildings have been knocked down now, despite winning awards at the time.

The Tricorn centre in Plymouth being a notable one, it once won an ugliest building in Britain award!

[chaseracer]

 

GR32 shitey hand-painted sign!

[RedSparrow]

Thats a shame, I like stuff like this.

 

Yeah I recall reading that there were various plans for a restaurant / nightclub up there.

[Lord Sterling]

What a shame eh? I quite liked those types of 'Brutalist' buildings, something unique about them.

[Guest]

The irritating thing is that these buildings end up looking like this due to lack of care. These bare concrete ones seem to get it the worst - wonder when they last pressure-washed it? If they'd have shelled out and given it a thorough clean and put some flowers on the balconies, I doubt anyone would be "divided" enough to call it a monstrosity.

 

My old office was a 1960s relic and everyone there hated it. I actually thought it was quite a smart-looking building with nice big windows, but it was in a tatty state and I think I was the only one who could see past that. If they'd have gone to the effort of tidying it up and applying some fresh coats of paint it would have looked miles better, but as it is, it'll probably get knocked down.

 

Sadly, no one really seems bothered about bringing interesting old buildings up to scratch - they're too busy doing up old Victorian mills (which are dull and plentiful in my eyes) to give a toss about stuff which slots into the category of art deco/brutalist/Bauhaus/etc.

[hammy]

It features twice in the film, the first time Carter goes to visit Brumby as he oversees the plan to turn it into a restaurant. In the second visit he goes back and imfamously sends Brumby to his death after a kicking, and then throughing him off the edge of the open staircase. Carter then flys down the car park in his mk2 Cortina and the architect on hearing the squeal of tyres says "I have a feeling we won't get our fees on this one"

 

A lot of folk think Caine's infamous "you're a big man" line took place in the car park scenes but it didn't, it was at Brumby's house when he paid him a visit.

 

The car park was designed by Owen Luder, famous for the Tri-Corn centre in Portsmouth, this car park, the Gateshead "rocket" flats (also due for demolition) and the Southgate Centre & Ham Gardens car park in Bath (demolished in 2008).

 

The cafe was never fitted out as such, there are many different stories but most popular is that the water and gas supplies could not be provided safely to the top of the car park.

 

Most of the neglect set in because the greedy developers keen to build his designs were running out of money in the late 1960's, they cut corners and the bubble of free spending came to an end meaning many of the predicted shops etc never opened as planned giving them a run down feel from the very start. An important contribution to the history of UK architecture has been lost, all to satisfy greedy developers who again find themselves stuck in a burst credit bubble with nobody looking to expand or open new shops. Bland, generic or faux-historic dross has replaced something distinctive, if not ever so pretty.

[catsinthewelder]

If they'ed painted all the way up with that beige it would have helped, its been like that for at least 14 years

 

A lot of tower blocks around the M5 in Brum have been painted bright colours lately, probably annoys the purists but I like it

[barrett]

Real shame this, They've been threatening to do it for so long I almost didn't believe it would actually happen. I didn't know that the 'rocket' was scheduled for demolition too, that would be a real shame as it's a great looking building. I think a lot of what Hirst says is true, if councils bothered to maintain the upkeep on these places then there would be much less opposition to them. Also I think there is a fine line between 'interesting' and 'ugly' when it comes to brutalist architecture, although I like most stuff from that era I am probably in the minority.

Anyway, to cheer you all up a bit, here is one of my favourite bits of late 60s design, the Point Royal Tower in Bracknell. Has been given grade 2 listed status so wont be suffering the same fate as so many contemporanious buildings

[Richard]

St Peter's Seminary is Category A listed, didn't do it much good though. (picture contains mild Cubicle content)

 

[RedSparrow]

One of my faves, the DDRs Palast der Republik:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palast_der_republik

 

And some modernist Bauhaus, one of my workplaces, the De La Warr Pavilion:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_La_Warr_Pavilion

 

(Small) apologies for OT post.

[Lankytim]

The problem with these old steel and concrete buildings is they're shite. They all seem to go rusty and crack all the concrete off then they become dangerous and cost £millions to put right. While I agree with the lack of maintainance playing a part in their demise, i'd wager the majority of the problem with them is due to their design and construction.

 

The yard I rented in Brum was listed as it had the first ever concrete building with a steel skeleton- I think it dated from 1930ish. It was rusty and huge lumps of concrete would regularly fall off and land on my cars that were in storage there. Once inspected it was quickly condemned and demolished.. and I was booted out!

 

One of my fave concrete oddities is Lancaster services on the M6... Its superb!

[RedSparrow]

Tis true.

[bore]

The De La Warr was one of the earliest steel/concrete buildings in the country, it was poorly maintained for years. The balconies have twice had to be ripped off and rebuilt.

And it still leaks all over the place, all because it was left to rot by the local authority.

[/bore]

[reallyloud]

The precinct was still in use up to 2007 - and the first 7 levels were still in use in 2008. A cinema and bigger tesco is planned as a replacement - I suspect most of the locals will be grateful though.

 

As mentioned by hammy, here's the magnificient Dunston Rocket. Again the council are suggesting that the concrete is rotting (maybe they've been watching too much of the brilliant 'Our friends in the North') and upright sky rise buildings attract anti-social behaviour - admittedly Dunston is not exactly Jesmond, but again offers another slice of brutalistic heaven.

 

 

[RedSparrow]

That Dunston tower is superb. I suppose it makes sense that as we all like miserable motoring, we all like miserable buildings too.

[chaseracer]

One of my faves, the DDRs Palast der Republik:

I was there a couple of weeks ago. Just an open space now, across Karl-Liebknechtstrasse from the Berliner Dom. Shame...

[chaseracer]

That Dunston tower is superb. I suppose it makes sense that as we all like miserable motoring, we all like miserable buildings too.

Nicely put.

 

Look here, aficionados of Brutalism: http://www.c20society.org.uk/

[RedSparrow]

I go to Berlin quite a lot, I am there again week after next. When I first went the Palast was closed but still had its exterior, over the years I have seen it dissappear bit by bit. Very sad. Apparently they put it to public vote as to whether it should be saved - 65% voted to save it but they demolished it anyway. Thats democracy folks!

[Tayne]

,

[Parky]

I'm going to Helsinki next week and have a few hours to myself for a change. Lots of "brutalist" Soviet style stuff out there so I will try and get some pics.

[Tayne]

.

[RedSparrow]

Funnily enough I was in Helsinki on Saturday. Finnish girls are ace...

[CortinaDave]

The worst thing about the car park going is that they are replacing it with - a tesco. Probably the most uninteresting thing possible. If they were hell bent on knocking it down, it should at least have been replaced with something else interesting.

 

It takes away just about the only thing that made gateshead even remotely worth a visit.