Demolition work began Monday morning to demolish one of the ugliest buildings in downtown Newcastle.
The northern part of Pilgrim Street will be closed for seven weeks, in the final phase of HMRC’s plans to move thousands of jobs from its bases in Longbenton and Washington to a huge new facility. The demolition of Commercial Union House’s brutal offices, long considered one of the city’s most unattractive blocks, is part of a huge transformation that will eventually involve more than 9,000 civil servants moving to the new Pilgrim’s Quarter.
The Stack container village on the site of the old Odeon cinema was also closed earlier this month to make way for the giant new building, which was approved by Newcastle City Council in April and is now partially dismantled. The nearby Bamburgh House will also be demolished, as will the interior of the Art Deco Carliol House, while the Dex car garage has already been demolished.
Read more: See the huge change of £ 155 million HMRC offices that will bring downtown Newcastle
Commercial Union House was completed in 1971, built on a site previously occupied by the offices of Commercial Union Assurance Co. Ltd in the late 19th century, and in recent years has been rented by a team of artists Orbis. The eight-story concrete block jutting out over the street has been described as “horrifying” and “adversely affecting the historic character of the street.”
It will soon be replaced by the new Pilgrim’s Quarter, which is the largest office building in the history of the city center and will wrap around Pilgrim Street, John Dobson Street, Market Street and New Bridge Street West. The £ 155 million site, developed by the Ruben brothers, will be between six and nine floors and should be completed by 2027.
What will the future Pilgrim’s Quarter look like from the bottom of Northumberland Street, downtown Newcastle (Image: Ryder Architecture / Newcastle City Council.)
It was backed by the council’s planning committee last month, but requires final government approval due to inheritance concerns over the loss of much of the Class II Carliol House.
Pilgrim Street will be closed to vehicles in both directions between New Bridge Street West to Market Street until Sunday, July 3. Hood Street will also be closed, except for service vehicles.
During the first two weeks of the demolition, pedestrians will also not be able to use a section of Pilgrim Street between 6pm and 6am while contractors remove the top of the Commercial Union House.
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