Daily Express Building, London

Daily Express Building, London
Black vitrolite panelling on the Daily Express Building.

The Daily Express Building (also known as 120 Fleet Street) is a Grade II* listed building located in Fleet Street in the City of London. It was built in 1932 by Sir Owen Williams to serve as the home of the Daily Express newspaper and is one of the most prominent examples of art-deco architecture in London.

The exterior features a black façade with rounded corners in vitrolite and clear glass, with chromium strips. The flamboyant lobby, designed by Robert Atkinson, includes plaster reliefs by Eric Aumonier, silver and gilt decorations, a magnificent silvered pendant lamp and an oval staircase. The furniture inside the building was, for the most part, designed by Betty Joel [1].

The lobby of this building was open to the public on London Open House day, over the 19 and 20 September 2009 weekend. Members of the public were allowed to view the lobby, which is normally off-limits apart from employees of the building and invited guests.[2]

"Britain" Panel from the Daily Express building foyer
"Empire" Panel from the Daily Express building foyer
The aluminium leaf recessed ceiling and pendant lamp


The building is currently occupied by Goldman Sachs.

The Building in the Media

In 1961 the building, the paper and its most famous editor, Arthur Christiansen, starred in the British science fiction film The Day the Earth Caught Fire, featuring a young Michael Caine. The magazine Private Eye invariably referred to the building, in the days when it was occupied by the Daily Express, as 'The Black Lubyanka'.

References

Coordinates: 51°30′52″N 0°06′22″W / 51.5144°N 0.1060°W / 51.5144; -0.1060