I have an old friend who loves Brighton and Hove to the extent that he has bought a weekend flat in King's Esplanade near the King Alfred Leisure Centre.
He likes to walk along the seafront early in the morning, breathing in the salty sea air and admiring the architecture.
The other day he asked me what the appalling eyesore looking semi derelict and shabby thing was near the borders of Brighton and Hove in King's Road.
I informed him it was Embassy Court, regarded by many people as one of the finest Art Deco buildings in Britain, let alone Brighton. His response was: "Pull it down."
This may aggrieve the many supporters of Embassy Court but I have to agree.
The building is in a shocking state and with the concrete splaying in many places, may be incapable of repair at reasonable cost. While it may have been imposing in another place, it is grossly out of keeping with the beautiful Regency terraces of the Brunswick area.
What is more, the building of Embassy Court in 1935 led directly to other blocks which wrecked the Regency heritage of the seafront between Brunswick Square and the Palace Pier, culminating in the creation of the King's West building 30 years later.
I am not alone in this view.
Clifford Musgrave, author of Life in Brighton, described Embassy Court as the first challenge to the fine architecture of the past, saying it was designed in the brutal, monolithic, concrete manner of the time.
He added: "It represents an affront, not only of scale, but also of character to the adjoining five-storey Regency buildings which happen to consist of a portion of Brunswick Terrace notable for its varied and picturesque classical detail, in which bowed fronts combined with columns, porticos and pavilions in a particularly individual way."
Dr Musgrave added: "Naturally the building aroused bitter criticism, not only among lovers of traditional architecture, but also among many people who would not have ben antagonistic to the erection of such a building in a suitable position, but who considered its introduction there to be a brash and vulgar intrusion."
Embassy Court is nearly a skyscraper. It is 110 feet and 12 storeys high. It is totally at odds with its neighbours, having broad, white, horizontal bands of balconies contrasting horribly with the vertical, narrow, Regency, cream-coloured pillars on the older buildings next door. It was a daring creation by the architect, Wells Coates, but it was also immensely arrogant.
Some liked it at the time, including Sir Herbert Carden, the father of modern Brighton.
While Sir Herbert is fondly remembered today for saving the Downs, he also favoured tearing down the whole of the seafront from Kemp Town to Hove, replacing it with similar buildings.
He even advocated demolishing the Royal Pavilion and putting up a modern amusement centre in its place. So much for his views.
Embassy Court is a listed building and there have been plans for the last ten years to restore it to its former grandeur. But nothing has yet come of these notions despite Government financial backing and the flats are going from bad to worse. Walking below them the other day, it looked as it bits were in imminent danger of dropping off.
Portland Gate in Hove was a building of similar age although of less merit. Thanks to the energy of the borough council, then led by Ivor Caplin, and the co-operation of Chichester Diocesan Housing Association, the complicated problems of ownership were cleared up and it was demolished. It was replaced by distinctively-designed, affordable housing providing clean, warm homes for scores of people.
I am not normally keen on demolishing listed buildings. But Embassy Court should never have been put next to Brunswick Terrace. It always looked incongruous and now it looks outrageous. My friend and I will both be delighted it it bites the dust and a modern building of real quality producing affordable homes and respecting its grand Regency neighbours is at last erected on the site.
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