Stephenson Tower from ground level.
Stephenson Tower (also known as New Street Station Project) was a 63 metre tall tower block above New Street Station in Birmingham, England. It had 20 floors and 80 flats. Construction was approved in 1965 and the tower was completed in 1967 by Bryant. It is named after Robert Stephenson. By 2010, 44 of the flats were tenanted and 36 were privately owned.
The tower block has now been demolished as part of the Birmingham Gateway project, a Network Rail and Birmingham City Council redevelopment project of the New Street Station area. The plot will become home to a John Lewis department store.
Demolition preparation commenced in March 2011, with the assembly of a tower crane adjacent to the tower. Additional structural supports were added to the building so that scaffolding could be added to the structure as it was being demolished without compromising its stability. Scaffolding was assembled up the tower in May 2011 and brick by brick demolition promptly began. Initially material was dumped into refuse skips at the top of the tower, which were lowered to ground level by the tower crane. When the cores had been cleared of machinery, rubble was sent down chutes in the lift shaft. Demolition was completed in January 2012.