US hotel owner-operator, MCR, has agreed to buy the iconic BT Tower building in London from BT Group for £275 million and plans to turn it into a hotel.
The 177-metre-tall landmark structure was used to transmit television broadcasts following its opening in Fitzrovia in 1965 by then prime minister Harold Wilson.
At one time it had been the tallest building in London, until the NatWest Tower was built in the City.
MCR owns and operates some of New York’s best-known hotels, including The High Line Hotel, and the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport.
BT Group will take several years to vacate the premises, due to the scale and complexity of the work to move the technical equipment inside.
Heatherwick Studio has been appointed to redesign the new hotel building.
Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director, Heatherwick Studio, said: “My team and I are thrilled to partner with MCR to reimagine the BT Tower.
“This is an extraordinary building and an amazing opportunity to bring it back to life.
“We’re excited at the prospect of working with Fitzrovia’s residents and with many thousands of Londoners, to repurpose this important piece of the city’s living heritage.”
Tyler Morse, CEO and owner of MCR, added: “We are proud to become owners and custodians of the iconic BT Tower. We will take our time to carefully develop proposals that respect the London landmark’s rich history and open the building for everyone to enjoy.”
Image credit: Dunc(an), CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
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