Civic Centre stands proud as a success of the Sixties

NOT all of the major buildings thrown up in Newcastle in the 1960s and '70s would survive the test of time. Think of Westgate House on Westgate Road, or the former Central Library in Princess Square, or Commercial Union House on Pilgrim Street. All of them could be labelled 'modernist', all were arguably 'unsightly', and all were demolished within decades of construction.

- By DAVID MORTON

One notable exception built during that era, which still stands tall, sleek and proud in the Barras Bridge area of the city nearly 60 years after it opened, is the grade II-listed Civic Centre.

One of the UK's foremost planning experts, Prof Mark Tewdwr-Jones, formerly of Newcastle University, explains: "The enduring success of the Civic Centre as a building can in part be put down to the finishing touches - the artistic bits, internal and external, if you like.

"It wouldn't have worked nearly as well had it been just a concrete tower block. Features such as the distinctive carillon tower with its 12 bronze seahorses, the River God Tyne statue, and the murals by Victor Passmore elevate the building. Its look was a kind of soft-modernism, which predated brutalist designs that became popular later, so it still works today.

"The building with its added detail and artwork reflects the confidence and passion of the local authority, and its onetime leader T Dan Smith."