Designed by John Madin and finished in 1974, this was Birmingham’s main public library for almost 40 years, and the largest municipal library in Europe when built. The library was part of a wider regeneration scheme for Birmingham’s Inner Ring Road area, with the aim of creating a new civic centre. Originally the building was designed to endure hard wear with minimal maintenance costs; however, financial constraints brought about many changes to the initial designs, and also led to the use of lower-quality materials. Despite having been called a symbol of social progressivism, attempts to gain listed status failed twice, and it was demolished two years ago.
