Firestone Tyre Factory: Difference between revisions

| location_country = [[United Kingdom]]

The '''Firestone Tyre Factory''' was an [[Art Deco]] building on the [[Golden Mile (Brentford)|Great West Road]] in [[Brentford]] in the [[London Borough of Hounslow]] was an example of [[Art Deco]] [[architecture]]. It was designed by [[Wallis, Gilbert and Partners]] for the [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]].<ref name=listed/> Built on a 26-{{En dash}}acre site, it opened in October 1928.<ref name=richmond>{{cite web|url=http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/626950.0/ |title=25 years on -– the end of Firestone (From Richmond and Twickenham Times) |publisher=Richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk |date=1 September 2005-09-01 |accessdate=2013-10-17 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite webnews|author=Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES. |url=httphttps://selectwww.nytimes.com/gst1928/abstract10/17/archives/firestone-in-akron-addresses-londoners-tire-manufacturer-uses-radio.html?res=F60C11FA395E1B728DDDAE0994D8415B888EF1D3 |title=FIRESTONE, IN AKRON, ADDRESSES LONDONERS - Tire Manufacturer Uses Radio for Speech at Opening of New Factory. - Article - NYTimes.com |publisherwork=Select.nytimes.comThe New York Times |date=1928-10-17 October 1928 |accessdate=2013-10-17 October 2013}}</ref> Itand was the firstsecond factory to open on the Great West Road, following [[Hudson_Motor_Car_Company#United_Kingdom|Hudson-Essex Motors of Great Britain Limited]] which opened in 1927.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/local-history/industries-and-crafts/the-great-west-road-then-now/|title=The Great West Road Then & Now {{!}} Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society|website=brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk|access-date=2019-08-05}}</ref><ref>A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22279 Heston and Isleworth: Economic and social history], pages 114-119114–119. Retrieved 17 October 2013-10-17.</ref>

The company announced in November 1979 that it would close the factory.<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://selectwww.nytimes.com/gst1979/abstract11/15/archives/company-news-firestone-plans-cuts-in-europe.html?res=F60917FB3B5D11728DDDAC0994D9415B898BF1D3|title=Firestone Plans Cuts in Europe|date=1979-11-15 November 1979|quote=The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Ltd, said today that it would discontinue operations at its Brentford, Middlesex, plant within the next three [...]|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite webnews|url=httphttps://pqasbwww.pqarchiverproquest.com/latimes/docdocview/162619407.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Nov%2015,%201979&author=&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&edition=&startpage=&desc=Firestone%20to%20Cut%20European%20Output |title=Los Angeles Times: Archives -– Firestone to Cut European Output |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=1979-11-15 November 1979 |accessdate=2013-10access-date=17 October 2013}}</ref>

After its purchase by [[Trafalgar House (company)|Trafalgar House PLC]], the building was demolished during the August 1980 [[bank holiday]] weekend, reportedly in anticipation of its becoming [[listed building|listed]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Fiona MacCarthy |url=httphttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2004/nov/20/architecture |title=Grand designs &#124; Art and design |publisherwork=The Guardian |date=2004-11-20 November 2004 |accessdate=17 October 2013-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4254295/Erotic-gherkin-company-has-form.html|title='Erotic gherkin' company has 'form'|quote=Trafalgar House used to own the Firestone Building on Western Avenue. Two days before the building was to be listed, it flattened that, too. | location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=25 August 2000}}</ref> The [[Twentieth Century Society]] call the structure their "first serious case" and say that its destruction<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c20society.org.uk/about-us/ |title=About us —– The Twentieth Century Society |publisher=C20society.org.uk |dateaccessdate=17 October |accessdate=2013-10-17}}</ref> {{quote|1=[...] focussed"focused public attention on the necessity for greater protection for 20th century buildings and led directly to the listing of 150 examples of inter-{{En dash}}war architecture (including [[Battersea Power Station]]) by the government".}}

* [http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~garycr/2001/firestone_factory/ Globalnet.co.uk: Firestone Factory]

* [http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw025229 Britainfromabove.org: Firestone tyre factory]

* [http://brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/local-history/buildings/the-firestone-factory/ Brentford and Chiswicklhs.org: Firestone Factory]

* [http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/brentford/index50.shtml Disused-stations.org: Brentford]