Tayside House was an office block development in the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

area of

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

. The building served as the headquarters for

Tayside Regional Council Tayside () was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 16 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named after the River Tay. History Tayside region was created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 197 ...

and its successor organisation following local government reorganisation,

Dundee City Council Dundee City Council is the Local government in Scotland, local authority for Dundee City council area, Dundee City, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Dundee was formerly governed by a municipal c ...

Tayside Police Tayside Police was a territorial police force covering the Scottish council areas of Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross (the former Tayside region) until 1 April 2013, at which point it was subsumed into Police Scotland. The total area co ...

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 secti ...

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 Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance plc was a large British insurance company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The company was established through the merger of the Guardian Assuranc ...

, specifically for the newly formed Tayside Regional Council to lease. The council was a local authority formed by the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament (UK), act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government of Scotland, local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The act followed and largely impleme ...

, and came into existence in 1975. The building was still under construction at the time; the council moved into the completed building in May 1976. The council initially took a 63-year lease of the building. 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 parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the current Local government in Scotland, local government structure of 32 Unitary authority, unitary authori ...

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 () is the local authority for Perth and Kinross, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since 1999. It is based in Perth. History A district called Perth and Kinross was ...

and

Angus Council Angus Council is the Local government in Scotland, local authority for Angus, Scotland, Angus, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. History The first election to Angus District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authori ...

. Dundee City Council occupied the building as additional office space, supplementing its nearby civic headquarters at

Dundee City Chambers Dundee City Chambers is a municipal facility in City Square, Dundee, Scotland. The city chambers, which is headquarters of Dundee City Council, is a Category B listed building. History The building was commissioned to replace the old town house ...

. The 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 and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apa ...

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 The River Tay (, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing' David Ross, ''Scottish Place-names'', p. 209. Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, 2001.) is the longest river in Sc ...

. 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 Dundee House is a municipal building in North Lindsay Street in Dundee, Scotland. The original part of the structure, which currently serves as the administrative headquarters of Dundee City Council, is Category B listed. History The site oc ...

at 50 North Lindsay Street, 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 Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

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 The 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 ...

. 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 County halls in Scotland