{{Short description|Residential building in Sheffield, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use British English|date=August 2013}} {{Infobox building | name = Hallam Towers | image = Hallam Towers (2024).jpg | image_size = | caption = | highest_region = | highest_start = | highest_prev = | highest_end = | highest_next = | location = Fulwood Road, Sheffield, England | coordinates = {{coord|53.3757|-1.5083|region:GB|display=inline,title}} | status = Topped out | construction_start_date = 2020 | completion_date = 2022 | opening_date = | building_type = Residential | antenna_spire = | roof = {{convert|48|m|ft|abbr=on}} | top_floor = <!-- this is for elevation of bottom of the floor, can't be same as roof --> | floor_count = 15 | elevator_count = | cost = £32 million | floor_area = | architect = | structural_engineer = | main_contractor = | developer = Redbrik | owner = | operator = }} '''Hallam Towers''' is a fifteen-storey, {{convert|48|m|ft}} apartment building completed in 2022 in the Broomhill area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It was constructed on the site of an externally similar thirteen-storey former hotel of the same name, which existed on the site between 1963 and 2017.
==Current building (2020–)== Work to rebuild the Hallam Tower commenced in 2020 with two additional storeys, making it 15 storeys high. The structure will contain 103 one, two and three bed apartments with a gym and swimming pool on the ground floor. Peter Lee, a director at Redbrik, the sales agent for the new development said, 'The development is being sympathetically restored back to its recognisable form, using the latest materials and technology that the construction industry has to offer.'<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hallam Towers Sheffield Redevelopment – Mascot Management|url=https://www.mascotmanagement.co.uk/blog/hallam-towers-sheffield.asp|access-date=7 April 2021|website=Mascot Management}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ashton|first=Lucy|date=21 December 2020|title=Sheffield's iconic Hallam Tower site could be turned into 15-storey apartment building under updated plans|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/sheffields-hallam-tower-plans-amended-take-building-15-storeys-high-3075033|access-date=7 April 2021|website=The Yorkshire Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ashton|first=Lucy|date=24 February 2021|title=City councillors give go ahead to extension of Sheffield's Hallam Towers|url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/council/sheffields-hallam-towers-to-rise-on-the-citys-skyline-once-more-as-councillors-agree-extension-3144949|access-date=7 April 2021|website=The Star|location=Sheffield}}</ref> The development is by Blenheim Land & Properties, and is being funded by a £31.5m loan from Fortwell Capital.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rosser|first=Emma|date=17 March 2021|title=Sheffield's Hallam Towers resi redevelopment gets £32m boost|url=https://www.egi.co.uk/news/sheffields-hallam-towers-resi-redevelopment-gets-32m-boost/|access-date=7 April 2021|website=Radius Data Exchange}}</ref> The planned completion date for the building was August 2022 but has been delayed until October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Hallam Towers {{!}} Projects |url=https://www.domisconstruction.co.uk/project/hallam-towers/ |access-date=7 April 2022 |website=Domis Construction}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hollingworth |first=Rob |date=16 October 2021 |title=Apartments worth £32 million sold at Hallam Towers making it Sheffield's most expensive development |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/homes-and-gardens/apartments-worth-ps32-million-sold-at-hallam-towers-making-it-sheffields-most-expensive-development-3420282 |access-date=7 April 2022 |website=The Star|location=Sheffield}}</ref>
==Original building (1963–2017)== ===Design, construction and opening=== thumb|The disused Hallam Tower Hotel from Fulwood Road, 3 February 2007. Designed by Nelson Foley of the Trust House Architectural Department, construction started in 1963 at a cost of £1 million. The '''Hallam Tower Hotel''', owned by Trust Houses Group Ltd, opened on 24 March 1965<ref name="StarryStillness1">[https://starrystillness.blogspot.com/2011/05/hallam-tower-hotel-sheffield.html] Hallam Tower Hotel – Under the Starry Stillness Blog, 17 May 2011.</ref> and at opening boasted 136 bedrooms over its eleven stories, employed nearly 150 staff members and covered a three and a half acre site.<ref name="Star2" /> The hotel included facilities such as the Vulcan Room restaurant which featured a colour scheme of "orange, yellow, pale wrapping paper brown and sour green",<ref name="StarryStillness1" /> the Sheffield Plate Grill (a quick service buttery),<ref name="StarryStillness3">[http://starrystillness.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/lets-halt-awhile-hallam-tower-and.html] Let's Halt Awhile, Hallam Tower and Grosvenor House Hotels – Under the Starry Stillness Blog, 25 May 2011.</ref> decorated with "a series of Sheffield trade signs, none of them later than 1910 and most of them mid-19th century" and a colour scheme of pink, red, black and white,<ref name="StarryStillness1" /> and the Downstairs Bar, described in the original press release for the hotel thus; "A dark intimate room with a club-like atmosphere enlivened by turquoise blue upholstery. Dark lincrusta walls. 18th century Hogarth engravings. Silver Trimmings.".<ref name="StarryStillness1" />
===Hotel operations=== thumb|Fifth floor lift lobby of the Hallam Tower Hotel. c. 2000s. Shows the original 1960s teak veneer panelling and sconces which ran along all the corridors and lift lobbies of the tower; during refurbishments late in the hotel's life many of the floors had the teak painted over. Being one of the first luxury hotels built in the region since the end of World War II,<ref name="StarryStillness1" /> the city and the building's owners were keen to capitalise on the hotel's modern look and it appeared in an advertisement for the Ford Galaxie 500 and in the promotional film; ''Sheffield… City on the Move''.<ref name="StarryStillness2" />
Several times during the 1960s the hotel restaurant appeared in ''Egon Ronay's Guide to British Eateries'' and achieved a four star rating from the AA.<ref name="Star2" />
For the 1966 World Cup, Hillsborough Stadium was the 'home' ground of the Swiss team, their over night accommodation was the Hallam Tower Hotel. One incident occurred when the Swiss fielded a team which left out two of their star players, against Germany due to said players arriving back at the hotel an hour after curfew the night before.<ref name="Star1">Payne, Les (2002) "When World Cup Football Came to Sheffield". ''Sheffield Star'', 31 May 2002</ref>
With the takeover of Trust Houses Group Ltd by Forte Holdings in 1970 the building came under the ownership of Trust House Forte.<ref name="King">[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/king-of-catering-how-forte-changed-the-face-of-britain-13419968.html] King of Catering: How Forte changed the face of Britain]</ref> In 1973 David Bowie stayed at the hotel, when he performed at the Sheffield City Hall on his Ziggy Stardust Tour. Elton John was also a guest at the hotel during this period.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ball|first=Lucy|date=25 February 2021|title=A look back at the place to be for celebrities in the 1970s who stayed at the Hallam Tower hotel|url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/the-history-of-the-iconic-hallam-tower-hotel-where-david-bowie-elton-john-and-pele-all-stayed-3146475|access-date=7 April 2021|website=The Star|location=Sheffield}}</ref> In 1978 the hotels management attempted to move away from what it dubbed "the sweatshirt and jeans brigade" by only accepting bookings from rock bands so long as they were dressed appropriately inside the hotel and did not swear while in the hotel restaurant.<ref name="Star2" />
During the miners' strike in the summer of 1984 ''Daily Mirror'' proprietor Robert Maxwell had a secret meeting in a room on the top floor with National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill which he had asked ''Mirror'' journalist John Pilger to arrange.<ref>Seumas Milne ''The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners'', London, Verso, 2004, p.226</ref> Up to that point the paper was supportive of the strike and Maxwell put himself forward as a mediator between the National Coal Board and the NUM. According to Pilger, in his book, ''Hidden Agendas'' (1998) the meeting went badly and turned the ''Daily Mirror'' against the strike.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
By 1986 the building was known as the '''Hallam Tower Post House Hotel'''<ref name="StarryStillness2">[https://starrystillness.blogspot.com/2011/06/further-hallam-tower-hotel-pictures.html] Further Hallam Tower Hotel Pictures – Under the Starry Stillness Blog, 13 June 2011.</ref> and a year later was subject to a £750,000 refurbishment which also saw the opening of the gym, whose members boasted members of the Sheffield Wednesday football team, its then-manager Howard Wilkinson, along with boxer Herol 'Bomber' Graham.<ref name="Star2" />
The hotel later became known as the '''Forte Crest Sheffield'''<ref name="PA1">[http://planning.sheffield.gov.uk/PublicAccess77Live/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?keyval=9200873FUL&searchtype=PROPERTY&module=P3]{{Dead link|date=January 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} Sheffield City Council Planning Application ref. 92/00873/FUL</ref> and the '''Posthouse Sheffield'''.<ref name="HotelNames">[http://www.kinwardstone.co.uk/namechanges.htm] UK Hotel Name Changes – Kinwardstone Conferencing.</ref> In 2001, the hotel became the '''Holiday Inn Sheffield West'''.<ref name=HotelNames/>
===Hotel closure and demolition=== thumb|The view of Hallam Tower from Chesterwood Drive midway through demolition. (9 October 2017) The hotel eventually closed, along with the attached Spirit Health Club, on 18 April 2004, with some staff transferring to the Holiday Inn Royal Victoria in central Sheffield.<ref name="Star2">[https://archive.today/20130505083523/http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/sun_goes_down_on_hallam_tower_1_321041] Sun goes down on Hallam Tower... – Sheffield Star, 15 April 2004.</ref> The building was sold to development company Hallam Grange Ltd. for £6.3 million later in 2004.<ref name="Telegraph2" /> Hallam Grange Ltd. was a development vehicle owned by the Hague Family of Hague Plant.<ref name="Star3">[http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/business-news/sheffield-s-hallam-tower-sale-imminent-agent-1-7387209] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801222701/http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/business-news/sheffield-s-hallam-tower-sale-imminent-agent-1-7387209|date=1 August 2015}} Sheffield’s Hallam Tower sale 'imminent' – agent – Sheffield Star, 31 July 2015.</ref>
Since its closure the building stood empty for many years, although planning permission was granted in 2009 for a redevelopment of the tower into residential units,<ref name="LEP">[http://www.lep.co.uk/lifestyle/culture/controversial_flats_scheme_approved_for_hallam_tower_hotel_1_302819]{{Dead link|date=July 2022|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} Controversial flats scheme approved for Hallam Tower hotel – Lancashire Evening Post, 2 November 2009.</ref> as part of a wider redevelopment which would create 132 residential units on the site.<ref name="Telegraph1">Sheffield Telegraph (2009). Hallam Tower Future in Air. Sheffield Telegraph, 3 September 2009.</ref> Hallam Grange and their architects', Sheffield-based Axis Architecture, had been working on the scheme for three years, with the granted scheme being of smaller bulk and different layout to that originally proposed.<ref name="Telegraph2">Sheffield Telegraph (2009). Bid to Halt the Hallam Tower Homes Scheme. Sheffield Telegraph, 8 October 2009.</ref> The granted scheme would see an extra floor added to the rear of the tower, with some being removed from the front portion and the whole building reclad.<ref name="Telegraph3">Sheffield Telegraph (2009). Homes Plan for Landmark Hotel Finally Wins Approval. Sheffield Telegraph, 5 November 2009.</ref>
The ancillary buildings and low rise elements of the site were demolished during 2013 by Hague Plant, along with clearance of the first three floors of the tower building.<ref name="Hague">[http://www.hagueplant.co.uk/default.asp?ContentID=607] Demolition Portfolio – Hague Plant.</ref> Thus just the tower building of the original hotel remained in situ.
In September 2013, Hallam Grange placed the building on the market for sale with the Sheffield residential development office of Knight Frank.<ref name="Post 1">[http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/local-stories/city-landmark-derelict-hotel-goes-up-for-sale-1-6061844] City landmark derelict hotel goes up for sale – Yorkshire Post, 19 September 2013.</ref> A sale of the building was agreed in May 2014, reputed to be with an unspecified national housebuilder, however by July of the same year this deal had fallen through and the property was returned to the market.<ref name="Star 1">[http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/business-news/landmark-block-back-on-market-1-6745662]{{Dead link|date=April 2022|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} Landmark Block Back on Market – The Star, 23 July 2014.</ref>
In July 2015, local newspaper; The Sheffield Star quoted agent Tearle Phelan of Knight Frank as saying "We are speaking to a very interested party, it’s in legals and we are looking to exchange imminently".<ref name="Star3" /> The Sheffield Telegraph subsequently reported (October 2015)<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/hallam-towers-to-disappear-from-sheffield-skyline-for-luxury-homes-as-sale-goes-through-1-7501578| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161009115306/http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/hallam-towers-to-disappear-from-sheffield-skyline-for-luxury-homes-as-sale-goes-through-1-7501578| archive-date = 2016-10-09| title = Hallam Towers to disappear from Sheffield skyline for luxury homes as sale goes through – Sheffield Telegraph}}</ref> that a company had purchased the site and that the proposal would include the building being demolished and new luxury apartments and homes built on the land with no mention of social housing.
In 2017, it was planned that most of the tower would be demolished and then rebuilt with taller storeys to support proposals for apartments and townhouses.<ref>{{cite web|title=New plans emerge for Sheffield landmark Hallam Tower|url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/our-towns-and-cities/sheffield/new-plans-emerge-for-sheffield-landmark-hallam-tower-1-8493207|work=The Star|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002626/http://www.thestar.co.uk/our-towns-and-cities/sheffield/new-plans-emerge-for-sheffield-landmark-hallam-tower-1-8493207|url-status=dead}}</ref> South Yorkshire Police later urged the public to refrain from urban exploration after a 19-year-old student fell to his death in the abandoned site.<ref name="bbc-death">{{cite news|title='Unexplained' death of man found in former Sheffield hotel|publisher=BBC News|date=30 March 2017|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-39441265|access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="star-death">{{cite web|title=Hallam Tower student plunge tragedy: owners urge 'urban explorers' to consider safety|url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/our-towns-and-cities/sheffield/hallam-tower-student-plunge-tragedy-owners-urge-urban-explorers-to-consider-safety-1-8469774|website=The Star|location=Sheffield|date=31 March 2017 |access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref>
The tower was demolished between September and October 2017, leaving only the bottom two levels intact.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sheffield hotel demolition work starts|url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/sheffield-hotel-demolition-work-starts-1-8736092|work=The Star|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002958/http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/sheffield-hotel-demolition-work-starts-1-8736092|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Hallam Tower has been demolished today">{{cite web|title=Hallam Tower has been demolished today|url=https://thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2017/10/13/hallam-tower-has-been-demolished-today-25983#|website=The Tab|date=13 October 2017|publisher=The Tab|access-date=19 November 2017}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{SheffieldStructures}}
Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1965 Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2017 Category:Hotels in Sheffield Category:Defunct hotels in England Category:Demolished hotels in the United Kingdom Category:Former skyscrapers Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Sheffield