Love it or hate it, city library is a hot topic for our bloggers

Jun 26 2008 Agenda

The Bigger Picture in yesterday's Birmingham Post asked should it stay or should it go? The question was about the fate of the Birmingham Central Library - and it's a debate that dominates the Post blogs. These are some of the comments, compiled by Joanna Geary, posted at blogs.birminghampost.net

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The fate of Birmingham's Central Library is always a good topic to get Birmingham's blogosphere going.

Whether this classic example of 1960s brutalist architecture should be preserved for future generations or sentenced to the wrecking ball is a hot topic.

So when The Birmingham Post reported on June 21 that English Heritage was urging the Government to preserve the library as a build-ing of architectural importance, there was a flurry of posts and comments.

"I can only think [English Heritage] have taken leave of their senses," exclaimed Sand-well Labour councillor Bob Piper (bobpiper. co.uk) on a blog post entitled Bring on the Demolition Squad.

"There are not many things I would agree with Prince Charles about, I suspect, but his view of the Central Library 'looking more like a place for burning books, than keeping them' strikes me as just about spot on."

But there are at least 65 people that disagree with that assessment. They are the members of the "Save Birmingham Central Library from demolition!" group on social networking site Facebook.

Affectionately referring to it as "our concrete masterpiece" they state the case for preservation:

"We want to save our post war heritage, our concrete beauties, so at least we can surprise our children with how the architects thought in these times, and because, hey, if New York and London think they're cool, so should we! It would make a wonderful new modern art gallery! Save Birmingham Central Library from the bulldozers!"

Post blogger and veteran online personality Jon Bounds, creator of the website birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk (B:iNS) is one of the group's members.

His grand plan "Central Library, keep it, knock everything else down" gained some credence amongst bloggers.

Commenting on B:iNS Josh Hart said: "It's a plan that could work although persuading anyone influential to listen will be tough. My gut feeling is that this plan would let the Central Library 'breathe' and, with some modest maintenance, it could all look pretty good."

On his own site LiveBrum.co.uk, Josh also links to a fascinating interview with the library's architect John Madin which was produced by The Stirrer website a little while ago. In the video Mr Madin defends the library and dismisses criticisms made by Prince Charles and others.

Martin Mullaney, Liberal Democrat councillor for Moseley & Kings Heath, also has plans other than demolition in mind.

On his website he outlines his proposal to convert the reference library building into a "Tate Modern Birmingham" (martinmullaney.co.uk).

"Basically, it would involve retaining only the inverted ziggerate of the present John Madin library - convert it to a Tate Modern Bir-mingham," he explains.

"Build a new Central Library immediately to the south of the present John Madin Library. This would have enormous advantages to the proposed Centenary Square library in that you are not shoehorning a new library into a tight space with no room for future expansion."

The Birmingham Post's Public Affairs Editor Paul Dale (birminghampost.net/pauldale), gave his assessment of the situation and, whilst seeing both sides of the argument, predicts that "the Government will refuse to list the Central Library and that the building will be torn down by 2015."

He also reflects on Coun Mullaney's proposal. "It is true that a slight hiccup has occurred in the shape of English Heritage, who are recommending that the Central Library should be listed as a building of architectural merit. But few believe the Government will take that suggestion very seriously.

Mr Mullaney has set a hare running that has nowhere to go other than into the pantheon of urban myths in Birmingham. Enthusiasts for John Madin's 1973 brutalist Central Library will for ever accuse the council of failing to adopt the "visionary" Tate Modern plan, but the truth is that nothing really exists other than a few back-of-the-envelope jottings published on a website by Mr Mullaney after he first thought of the idea sometime last Sunday."

Commenting on an earlier Paul Dale posting, Nick Booth said: "I too am warming to the building - it is the bit that houses the children's section, the escalators etc that seems to cramp the bold simplicity of the design.

"However I'm not so sold on it that I would want us to preserve something which will break the bank when it comes to maintaining all that concrete."

And Nick Lockey said: "I love the library - it reminds me of one of those big, hulking ziggurats from the opening title sequence of Blade Runner. Seriously though, I don't think we should bulldoze the past just because it doesn't fit with our contemporary notions of aesthetics and beauty.

"Whether we love it or hate it, it's part of our city's architectural history. By flattening it we would be no better than the 'brutalist' pioneers who destroyed the Victorian parts of Brum to make way for their era's vision or architectural perfection."

Stephen Hartland, however, is quite clear in his intention. "Noooo! The Library must NOT be saved.

"Its a monstrosity that has never fitted this location. The fine Victorian Civic buildings of Chamberlain Square and houses of commerce that vanish into the distance down Edmund Street need to have this plot vacated.

"Likewise, Centenary Square cries out for this Leviathan to be removed and a tree-lined boulevard to connect the 20th and 19th century civic areas put in its place - flanked with shops, offices and other civic amenities that would create a more coherent and attractive destination to live, play and work. It just doesn't - and never has - fitted the bill, either aesthetically or from a practical perspective.

Meanwhile freelance journalist Paul Groves (grovesmedia.wordpress.com) no longer cares either way as long as something actually happens.

"There clearly is no simple solution to the Central Library puzzle. But all the pontificating, political point scoring and general prattishness of the last few years has ensured it has become far more complex than it should have and we are really no further towards getting a resolution."

But Post News blogger Roshan Doug (birminghampost.net/roshandoug) wonders why anyone is bothered about the library, when there are more serious issues to be addressed ... namely UFOs in Shropshire.

So, if ET invades and we're still too busy deciding the fate of Birmingham Central Library to defend ourselves, you can't say that you weren't warned. n To join the debate and see the best of the Post blogs, go to blogs.birminghampost.net.