Ringway Centre
| Ringway Centre | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Alternative names | SBQ |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Address | Smallbrook Queensway |
| Town or city | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Elevation | 127m |
| Completed | 1962 |
| Owner | CEG |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | James Roberts, Sydney Greenwood |
| Main contractor | Laing Construction |
Ringway Centre or SBQ is a Grade B locally listedbuilding located on Smallbrook Queensway in the city centre of Birmingham, England. The six storey, 230 metres (750 ft) long building was designed by architect, James Roberts as part of the Inner Ring Road scheme in the 1950s and is notable for its gentle sweeping curved elevation along Smallbrook Queensway. Completed in 1962 the building originally named the Ringway Centre was the first part of the Inner Ring Road scheme to be completed and the only part with street level shops and footways. The building currently provides office space on its upper floors and commercial space at street level.
Smallbrook Street was built up during the medieval period as the start of the route southwest of the Bull Ring Markets. By the early twentieth century the site of the Ringway Centre was occupied by many small Victorian commercial and residential buildings. In 1940, during World War II, most of the buildings on the south side of Smallbrook Street were destroyed by German bombing including the Frank Matcham designed, Empire Palace Theatre of 1894 on the corner of Smallbrook Street and Hurst Street. A few buildings survived the Birmingham Blitz most notably the Scala Cinema which stood at the western end of the Ringway until it demolition in 1960 for the construction of Scala House. From 1940 until 1957 the areas to the south of Smallbrook Street was used as a car park or temporary second hand car dealerships, the remaining buildings were demolished in 1957
It is partly due to the destruction of this area during the Birmingham Blitz that led to the Ringway Centre being the first part of the Inner Ring Road to be built with construction commencing in 1957. This part of the Inner Ring Road is unique in that it has pavements on either side, enclosed by buildings with shop fronts at street level. It was for this reason that in 1959 the Ringway Centre was criticised by the head of the Birmingham School of Planning, Leslie Ginsberg as being old fashioned.
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