Queens Building, Heathrow

The Queens Building was an office building at London Heathrow Airport next to Heathrow Terminal 2. It was opened in 1955 by Queen Elizabeth II[1] and was demolished in 2009 to make room for a rebuilt Terminal 2.[2] It was the location of the operational offices of BAA until demolition.[3]

Queens Building

History

The Queens Building was built as part of a new central area for London Airport (as Heathrow was known at the time). It was designed in 1950 by Frederick Gibberd.[4] Though it was initially going to be named "Eastern Apex Building", upon opening by Queen Elizabeth II it was announced it would be named the "Queens Building" after the Queen.[1] The office buildings held the airport's administration, as well as airline offices and the only business and conference centre on airport property.[5] In 1956, it was one of the most visited attractions in London due to its runway viewing platforms and rooftop gardens.[4] It was a very popular location with plane spotters.[6] The Queens Building was also constructed with an immigration detention facility designed for holding immigration offenders short-term for up to five days.[7] This facility was in use until 1994 when a new immigration detention centre was opened at Cayley House on the Heathrow campus.[8]

In 2005, BAA announced that the Queens Building would be demolished alongside the old Terminal 2 building before rebuilding Terminal 2. BAA chairman Sir Nigel Rudd said "The Queens Building has long sat at the heart of Heathrow, but the past must make way for the future...".[9] Despite this, the Queens Building was expanded in 2006 to include new offices.[10] All airlines gradually moved out and BAA moved their offices to the Compass Centre.[11] Demolition started in 2009, with Terminal 2 flights being diverted to help facilitate the demolition.[2]

References
  1. "1955: Queen opens London Airport terminal". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  2. "Airport demolition work beginning". BBC News. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  3. "BAA Corporate Office location map" (PDF). BAA. Archived from the original on 2006-05-02. Retrieved 2018-01-03 – via Wayback Machine.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "Queens building at Heathrow is demolished". Get West London. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  5. "Lufthansa flies back to Scotland". The Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2018-01-03 – via HighBeam Research.
  6. "Heathrow's Myrtle Avenue: A plane spotter's paradise". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  7. Rose, David (1985-05-21). "Detention centre at Heathrow 'better than the police cells'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  8. Bosworth, Mary (2014). Inside Immigration Detention. Oxford University Press. p. 36. ISBN 0199675473.
  9. "Preparations underway for Heathrow Terminal 2". Holiday Extras. 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  10. "Queens Building, Heathrow". 3econsult.com. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  11. "BAA Project". Graphic Image Solutions Limited. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2018-01-03 – via Wayback Machine.

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