Tayside House was an office block development in the city centre area of Dundee. The building served as the headquarters for Tayside Regional Council and its successor organisation following local government reorganisation,

Dundee City Council Dundee City Council is the local government authority for the City of Dundee. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. History Dundee City became a single-tier council in 1996, under the Local Government e ...

. Tayside Police leased part of the building, which formed the city centre police station. A raised walkway across the busy

A991 road The A991 is a major road in Dundee, Scotland. It forms the Inner Ringroad that circles the perimeter of Dundee's city centre. Route The A991 previously formed a complete dual-carriageway circle of the city centre. However, the southern sec ...

was added during the 1980s,

History

Tayside House was a purpose-built office block, designed by Dundee architects James Parr & Partners for property developers Ravenstone Securities and Guardian Royal Exchange, specifically for the newly formed Tayside Regional Council to lease. The council was a local authority formed by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and came into existence in 1975. Tayside House was completed in 1975 (although the building would not be fully occupied until 1977) with the council contracted to lease the building for 63 years. In 1984, the council purchased the building from Ravenstone Securities and Guardian Royal Exchange for £8.6 million. During the 1980s a raised walkway across the

was added to the Tayside House development, allowing pedestrian access to the nearby Olympia Leisure Centre. Tayside Regional Council was abolished by the

Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland. It abolished the two-tie ...

in 1995, and ownership of Tayside House and other council properties in Dundee passed to the successor authorities of

Perth and Kinross Council Perth and Kinross Council ( gd, Comhairle Pheairt is Cheann Rois) is the local government council for the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland. It employs around 6,000 people. The council was created in 1996, under the '' Local Governme ...

and

Angus Council Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include ag ...

. Dundee City Council agreed to purchase the other authorities' interests in Tayside House and other Dundee properties in 1997 for £3 million, to be paid over 15 years. The building often attracted criticism. It was on one occasion voted as 'the least-loved building' in Dundee' and was described in a 2012 BBC news report as 'a tower block regarded by many as an eyesore'. Around the time of its demolition, Dundee architectural historian

Charles McKean Charles McKean FRSE FRSA FRHistS FRIBA (16 July 1946 – 29 September 2013) was a Scottish historian, author and scholar. Biography McKean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 July 1946. He was educated at Fettes College, the University of P ...

, and his co-authors of a book on Dundee's lost architectural heritage, went as far as to state that the best views in the city were from Tayside House, because these were the only views from which the building itself could not be seen.

Demolition

The decision to

demolish Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a bu ...

Tayside House was made in 2003 as part of the Dundee Waterfront plan to redevelop the surrounding area as an extension of the city centre, expanding it to meet the River Tay. Annual savings of around £245,000 were expected by Dundee City Council moving to a new headquarters; the long term financial viability of Tayside House was in doubt as early as 1997, when quotations of £7 million and £9 million were received to renovate the building and secure its future for 25 years. A quotation of £9 million was again received in 2003 to refurbish Tayside House and guarantee a 25-year life expectancy. The initial plan to redevelop the area around Tayside House called for demolition to be complete by 2010; however, delays in the completion of the replacement building, Dundee House, prevented staff and services being moved out of Tayside House until August 2011. The demolition contract, worth £1.2 million, was let in August 2011 to Dundee-based demolition contractors Safedem. Demolition work began at the end of 2011 with extensive asbestos removal works needed prior to deconstruction. Due to the risk of damage to a nearby railway tunnel, it had been decided not to use explosives to demolish Tayside House, but instead to take it down gradually. The physical deconstruction of Tayside House began in early 2012 with the demolition of the building linking Tayside House with the

Caird Hall Caird Hall is a concert auditorium located in Dundee, Scotland. It is a Category A listed building. History The site currently occupied by the building was occupied by a series of closes and tenements. The foundation stone for the building was ...

. Work to dismantle Tayside House itself started in November 2012; the main demolition phase was completed in July 2013 and the site cleared by the end of 2013.

Viewpoints and demolition process

Police station under the walkway - geograph.org.uk - 1805024.jpg, Adjacent "Podium" building attached to Tayside House via walkway. This included the main entrance via escalators. Tayside House 2011 West Facing (original version).JPG, Northwest and southwest-facing sides Tayside House (close view).jpg, Close-up view including external panelling Tayside House demolition 17 June 2013 a.jpg, Final phase of demolition in mid-2013 Tayside House demolition by Muncher.webm, Video of the demolition process

References

{{Dundee Buildings and structures in Dundee Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland Office buildings completed in 1975 Buildings and structures demolished in 2013 Politics of Dundee History of Dundee Articles containing video clips 1975 establishments in Scotland 2013 disestablishments in Scotland