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OXO Tower
The OXO Tower is a building with a prominent tower on the south bank of the River Thames. The building currently has a set of bijou arts and crafts shops on the ground and first floors, and a well-known restaurant on the 8th floor (at the top of the tower).
The original building was a power station, but in the 1920s it was acquired by the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, manufacturers of Oxo beef stock cubes. The building was largely rebuilt to an Art Deco design by company architect Albert Moore. Liebig wanted to include a tower featuring illuminated signs advertising the name of their product but permission was refused. In order to get around this ban on illuminating adverts, architect Albert Moore incorporated the letters into the windows of the tower so they would be lit from within. Liebig and the building were eventually purchased by the Vestey Group.
In the late 1970s/1980s there was several proposals to demolish the building and redevelop it, but these were met with strong local opposition. Although permission for redevelopment was granted, the support of the Greater London Council finally resulted in the tower and adjoining land being sold to the GLC in 1984 for 2.7 million pounds - who controversially sold the entire 13 acre site to the not-for-profit Coin Street Community Builders for just £750,000. In the 1990s the tower was refurbished to a design by Liftschutz Davidson to include housing, a restaurant, shops and exhibition space. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxo_Tower)
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