Highpoint I was the first of two apartment blocks erected in the 1930s on one of the highest points in London, England, in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

. The architectural design was by the Georgian-British architect

Berthold Lubetkin Berthold Romanovich Lubetkin (14 December 1901 – 23 October 1990) was a Georgian-British architect who pioneered modernist design in Britain in the 1930s. His work includes the Highpoint housing complex, the Penguin Pool at London Zoo, Fins ...

, the structural design by the Anglo-Danish engineer Ove Arup and the construction by Kier. Highpoint I was built in 1935 for the entrepreneur Sigmund Gestetner, but was never used for its intended purpose of housing

Gestetner The Gestetner is a type of duplicating machine named after its inventor, David Gestetner (18541939). During the 20th century, the term ''Gestetner'' was used as a verb—as in ''Gestetnering''. The Gestetner company established its base in Londo ...

company staff. One of the best examples of early International style architecture in London, this block of 64 flats was very innovative in its day. When the building was completed, it became widely renowned as the finest example of this form of construction for residential purposes. When Corbusier himself visited Highpoint in 1935 he said, "This beautiful building .... at Highgate is an achievement of the first rank." And the American critic Henry Russell Hitchcock called it, "One of the finest, if not absolutely the finest, middle-class housing projects in the world." In 1970 this reputation gained official recognition when both Highpoint blocks were classified Grade I within the historic buildings listing programme. The second Lubetkin building in the same style, Highpoint II, was completed on an adjoining site in 1938. This is also a Grade I Listed Building. The gardens at Highpoint contain a swimming pool and two tennis courts. Architectural historian

Dan Cruickshank Daniel Gordon Raffan Cruickshank (born 26 August 1949) is a British art historian and BBC television presenter, with a special interest in the history of architecture. Professional career Cruickshank holds a BA in Art, Design and Architecture ...

selected Highpoint as one of his eight choices for the 2002 BBC book ''

The Story of Britain's Best Buildings ''Britain's Best Buildings'' was a BBC documentary series in which the TV presenter and architectural historian Dan Cruickshank discussed his selection of the finest examples of British architecture. It was first broadcast on BBC Two from 2 to 2 ...

''.

References

External links

Highpoint I building information & photos
Residential buildings in London Modernist architecture in London Berthold Lubetkin buildings Ove Arup buildings and structures Residential buildings completed in 1935 Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Haringey Grade I listed residential buildings Highgate {{UK-listed-building-stub