Citypoint
Citypoint is a skyscraper located on Ropemaker Street on the northern fringe of the City of London, the main financial district and historic nucleus of London.
Originally named Britannic House, Citypoint was built in 1967 as a 35-storey, tall headquarters for British Petroleum, becoming the first building in the City of London area to exceed the height of St Paul's Cathedral. The designers were F. Milton Cashmore and H. N. W. Grosvenor. In 1991 British Petroleum moved back to their original headquarters on Finsbury Circus and the building was renamed Britannic Tower.
It was refurbished in 2000, with additional floor space and the height increased to. The designer for the refurbishment was Sheppard Robson. It was renamed Citypoint after its refurbishment.
Citypoint is the seventh-tallest building in the City, after the Heron Tower, 122 Leadenhall Street, Tower 42, 30 St Mary Axe, Broadgate Tower and 20 Fenchurch Street but only the 23rd-tallest in Greater London.
In August 2005 its owner, Pillar Properties, sold the building for more than £500 million in one of the largest deals ever seen in the City office market.
In early 2007 the building was again put on the market, this time for £650 million, and purchased by a private American company called Beacon Capital Partners. At the time it was the most expensive building sale in the United Kingdom. However 8 Canada Square at Canary Wharf eclipsed this by some margin just a few months later when it was sold for over £1 billion.
A number of other large buildings are planned on sites nearby. These include a 43-storey, residential tower at Milton Court. A office tower at Ropemaker Place has also been developed by British Land.
