Civic Centre - the beginning & end
Thanks to the Ipswich Corporation newsletter from 1969 the original architect's impression shows the grand concept of a office tower block and the plaza with it's fountain and walkways over the spiral car park beneath. Other newsletters provided additional information on the site and the plans.
The Civic Centre site was reserved in the development plan of 1951 and the Council started acquiring the land and demolishing the small narrow streets and courts in the area. The whole area had been opened up by the creation of two new roads, Civic Drive and Franciscan Way which were started in 1963 and at a cost of £325,000 for the land and £483,000 for the construction of the roads. The Civic Centre and the Greyfriars building work were key changes planned for the town moving into the 1970s. Both sites never approached the grand designs, with the Greyfriars complex never able to tempt shoppers from the town centre and the Civic Centre really only providing office space, the Police station and law courts and the underground car park, although the Wolsey Theatre can be classed a success in the area. The plaza concept never really caught on and the fountain soon fell into disuse, leaving the area to the skateboarders.
With the opening of Grafton House in Russell Road the demolition of the tower block could commence, but due to the adjoining properties this work had to be undertaken with care. Each level was removed in turn and the bricks and concrete was crushed on site to make removal easier. The photos below show the stages of demolition, until finally the site was cleared to the ground level.
pictured as the work started April 2008, the tower covered in scaffolding August 2008 and finally removed in April 2009.