The Arts Tower is a building at 12 Bolsover Street in Sheffield, England, belonging to the University of Sheffield and which opened in 1965. A spokesperson for English Heritage described it as "the most elegant university tower block in Britain of its period". At tall, it is the second-tallest building in the city, after the St Paul's Tower on Arundel Gate, which was topped out in 2009.
Design and construction
Designed by architects Gollins, Melvin, Ward & Partners (GMW), construction of the tower started in 1961 and lasted four years. The tower was built by Mitchell Construction, a British civil engineering firm. Photographs from their topping out ceremony in October 1964 help to document a different era in UK working conditions.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no documentary evidence to suggest that the design was directly inspired by the similar, but much larger, Seagram Building in New York City, or for the theory linking it to the CIS Tower and New Century House in Manchester, England - although the similarity of aesthetics between the four buildings is undeniable. When asked about the possible inspiration of Mies van der Rohe's buildings in the United States, GMW project architect Robert Smith explained instead that the form of the building came from the surrounding context.
Entry to the building was originally made by a wide 'bridge' between fountains over a shallow pool area in front of the building. This pool was eventually drained and covered over when it was found that strong down drafts of wind hitting the building on gusty days caused the fountain to soak people entering and exiting the building.
A bridge at the mezzanine level links the tower to Western Bank Library. The Arts Tower and Library are Grade II* listed buildings.
The buildings can be visited during office hours, although visitors may have to sign a register and show identification.
Original accommodation
The building was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, in June 1966; It has a student computer room on the 10th floor, and a self-service language teaching centre on the second.
Refurbishment
In December 2007, the university announced plans for a major refurbishment of the Arts Tower. The refurbishment saw a major re-organisation of the building's interior, as well as a new façade, and coincided with the move of the modern languages departments to the Jessop West building, on the former Jessop Hospital site. The building was vacated in April 2009, with refurbishment taking approximately two years to complete. The work was finished in time for the beginning of the 2011–12 academic year; the building is still used for teaching, with the top nine floors allocated to the university's School of Architecture and Landscape.