La BT Tower, iconic tower in London's West End, soon it will become a luxury hotel. The historic tower was sold by the BT Group (a British telecommunications company, former state monopolist) to the American group Mcr Hotels for 275 million pounds (approximately $347 million). There choice to sell the historic BT Tower, 189 meters high (including the antenna) and visible from great distances, has been facilitated by the technological evolution of fixed and mobile networks, which no longer require the tower to transport signals from London to the rest of the Kingdom United.
“The agreement with Mcr Hotels will give the tower a new functionality, preserving this iconic monument for decades” explained the director of BT's real estate section, Brent Mathews. Tyler Morse, CEO and owner of Mcr, declared that the transformation of the BT Tower into a hotel will open its doors "to generations who will appreciate it".
BT Tower: the story
The Gpo Tower, commissioned in 1960 by the Ministry of Public Works to house the new General Post Office, symbolized the modernity of XNUMXth century Britain. Designed by Eric Bedford and G. Yeats, and built by Peter Lind & Co. Ltd, it was inaugurated in 1965 with Prime Minister Harold Wilson in attendance.
Symbol of post-war rebirth and "Swinging London", it was inaugurated in 1964 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The tower, operational since 1966, it housed offices and a telephone network innovative microwave-radio based radar antenna, as well as serving as a radar antenna for air security during the Cold War. The tower was 177 meters tall in the supporting structure, which rose to 189 meters with the antennas and metal structures on the roof.
Known as a futuristic symbol of London's post-war rebirth, it attracted numerous visitors, thanks also to its rotating panoramic restaurant. Since 1968, the tower has hosted sporting competitions climbing its 842 steps. In 1969, with the dissolution of the General Post Office, the tower was renamed the Post Office Tower. He remained there tallest tower in London for sixteen years, surpassing Millbank Tower, until being overtaken in 1980 by Natwest Tower in the City.
BT Tower: the attack and closure to the public
In 1971, the Torre suffered a serious attack, initially claimed by the IRA and then by the Angry Brigade, which seriously damaged the thirty-third floor, especially the panoramic restaurant, without causing casualties. It has not been open to the public since then although the restaurant reopened, closing permanently in 1980.
Tower it was renamed the London Telecom Tower in 1981, after the separation of the Post Office Corporation. In the 2000s, BT Group refurbished the building, renaming it BT Tower and turning it into the UK's Network Switching Centre. The tower has a binding protection which limits the possibility of making architectural changes.
With the passing of the years and the advent of technology the tower has lost his role hub of telephone, telegraph and television communications networks. Its microwave antennas have been deinstalled a decade ago. Recently, however, it was equipped with a 360-degree rotating LED panel, used to spread news about significant events, such as the births of members of the royal family and major sporting events.
Who is Mcr Hotels
Mcr Hotels was founded by Tyler Morse in 2006. Its first hotel was built in Huntsville, Alabama, the same year.
It is currently the fourth largest hotel group in the United States with 150 hotels. It has a history of major thematic renovations, such as the transformation of the TWA terminal at New York's Kennedy Airport, designed by Eero Saarinen. The Twa Hotel opened on May 15, 2019 and is the only hotel operating within the confines of JFK Airport.
Their portfolio also includes the New Yorker Hotel, the Lexington Hotel and the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. In 2023, the Group acquired a 99-year lease for the Gramercy Park Hotel, with plans to reopen the hotel in 2025. For the renovation of the BT Tower, Mcr Hotels will rely on London-based firm Heatherwick Studio.
London and Rome: boom in luxury hotels
London, how Roma, is experiencing a luxury hotel boom. If in the Capital this is due to thean ever-increasing number of star chefs arriving in the city, in London the focus is on architecture and heights: from the multi-million pound renovation of Claridge's to the recent openings of Peninsula London and Raffles London at the Owo. As far as hotels with panoramic views are concerned, the BT Tower has a great rival: the Shard, the tallest skyscraper in the city, which houses the Shangri-La hotel on its nineteen floors from the 34th to the 52nd.
