Radio City Tower

Radio City Tower

General information
Type	Radio station
Location	Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	53°24′23″N 2°58′55″W / 53.40639°N 2.98194°W / 53.40639; -2.98194Coordinates: 53°24′23″N 2°58′55″W / 53.40639°N 2.98194°W / 53.40639; -2.98194
Completed	1969
Height
Antenna spire	148 m (486 ft)
Top floor	138 m (453 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	6 floors (The basement, Reception area, the bunker, the first floor, the second floor and the rooftop.)
Lifts/elevators	2
Design and construction
Architect	James A. Roberts Associates - Birmingham
Structural engineer	Scott Wilson Group (both original construction and refurbishment
References
^[1]

Radio City Tower (also known as St. John's Beacon) is a radio and observation tower in Liverpool, England, built in 1969 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II. It was designed by James A. Roberts Associates in Birmingham. It is 138 metres (452 ft) tall, and is the second tallest free-standing building in Liverpool and the 32nd tallest in the United Kingdom.^[2]

When considering the height of the building, however, it has a 10m long antenna on the roof, making it the highest structure in Liverpool (including antennas).

History

St. John's Beacon (1969 - 1999)

Near the top of the tower was a revolving restaurant, the facade and floor of the restaurant revolving as one unit, while the roof of the restaurant was used as an observation platform for visitors. There are 558 stairs up to the top, and two lift shafts which reach the top in 30 seconds.

The tower is structurally independent of the adjacent shopping centre, with a simple foundation onto sandstone. The foundation is 60 feet in diameter, 17 feet deep and begins 40 feet below Houghton Street. It has a tapering shaft that was built using slip-formed concrete. The crows nest structure at the top was then added after the shaft was formed. The original restaurant closed in 1979 for health and safety issues. It was re-opened, with a reduced capacity and additional fire prevention measures, during the early 1980s. The restaurant was eventually re-fitted as a "Buck Rogers" space-themed restaurant in 1983, but closed again due to lack of business. After this the observation deck and the restaurant remained closed.

In the following years, the tower lay empty and derelict. Often dubbed an eyesore or a "White Elephant", an attempt to increase its attractiveness was made when blue "UFO style" neon strip lights were added to the perimeter of the tower in 1994 (later removed upon refurbishment).

Radio City Tower (2000 - present)

The tower was refurbished in 1999 at a cost of £5 million. It reopened as Radio City 96.7 (and Magic 1548) in August 2000. The outdoor observation deck which had been located on the roof of the restaurant was transformed into a second floor; this now holds offices and conference rooms for the radio station. The studios are on the lower floor that used to be the restaurant. The original revolving structure and machinery were left intact during the refurbishment. Brackets were added to lock the moving structure in place.

The refurbishment added an advertising framework at the top of the tower designed for both a fabric banner and illuminated light boxes. However, advertisements have only appeared infrequently, with Smirnoff and the Ford Motor Company being among the companies to have displayed advertisements there. In 2008 the framework was used for a banner during the European Capital of Culture celebrations. The roof is home to the local Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex for Liverpool, but Radio City, Magic, and City Talk do not directly broadcast from the roof. The public are admitted to the viewing gallery daily, upon payment of an entry fee.

Image gallery

Viewed from St. John's Gardens
During Liverpool's year as European capital of culture
Viewed from Williamson Square
The tower in 2012

References

External links

Conference facilities at the Radio City Tower
Radio City Tower at Skyscraper News
Radio City Tower at Structurae

Records
Preceded by Royal Liver Building	Tallest Building in Liverpool 1965 – 2008	Succeeded by West Tower

Buildings and structures in Liverpool, England

Skyscrapers and highrises (over 60m)	1 Princes Dock Alexandra Tower Beetham Tower Mann Island Buildings Municipal Buildings New Hall Place One Park West The Plaza Port of Liverpool Building Post & Echo Building Radio City Tower Royal Liver Building Thistle Atlantic Tower Unity Commercial Unity Residential West Tower

Notable lowrises	Albert Dock Alder Hey Children's Hospital Bank of England Bluecoat Chambers Britannia Adelphi Hotel Chinese Arch County Sessions House Crowne Plaza LJLA Cunard Building Empire Theatre Everyman Theatre Grand Central Hall Great North Western Hotel Hargreaves Building Homeopathic Hospital India Buildings International Slavery Museum Liverpool Central Library Liverpool Cotton Exchange Building Liverpool Magistrates' Court Liverpool Playhouse Liverpool Town Hall Liverpool Women's Hospital The Lyceum Malmaison Merseyside Maritime Museum Museum of Liverpool National Conservation Centre Oratory Oriel Chambers Philharmonic Hall Prudential Assurance Building Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts Royal Court Theatre Royal Insurance Building Royal Liverpool University Hospital Speke Hall Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse St. George's Hall Tate Liverpool Tower Buildings Victoria Building Walker Art Gallery White Star Building World Museum Liverpool

Places of worship	All Saints' Church Al-Rahma Mosque Church of All Hallows Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church of St Agnes and St Pancras Church of St Clare German Church Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas Gustav Adolf Church Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Norwegian Fishermans' Church Old Christ Church The Oratory Princes Road Synagogue St George's Church Saint John the Baptist's Church St Luke's Church St Luke's Church, Walton St Michael's Church Toxteth Unitarian Chapel Ullet Road Unitarian Church Welsh Presbyterian Church

Transportation	Liverpool Coach Station Liverpool One bus station James Street station Kingsway Tunnel Liverpool Central station Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool Lime Street station Liverpool South Parkway station Mersey Railway Tunnel Moorfields station Queensway Tunnel

Shopping complexes	Clayton Square Shopping Centre Lewis's Liverpool ONE Metquarter New Mersey Shopping Park St. John's Shopping Centre

Sports venues and arenas	Anfield Echo Arena Goodison Park Liverpool Cricket Club O2 Academy Liverpool Wavertree Athletics Centre

Sculptures and monuments	Nelson Monument Steble Fountain Superlambanana Titanic Memorial Victoria Monument Wellington's Column Public art

Lists	Listed buildings in Liverpool List of tallest buildings and structures in Liverpool

Category Commons

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