‘His architectural style was pretty visionary...’
Man who designed the iconic Rotunda building dies aged 97
THE architect behind one of Birmingham’s most iconic buildings has died. James A Roberts designed the Rotunda in New Street, the 23-storey monolith which started life as an office block in 1965 but was reborn in the 21st century after being regenerated into new apartments.
He passed away in his sleep aged 97.
Roberts was born in Kings Heath and went to Stanley House School in Edgbaston before attending the Birmingham School of Architecture where he went on to become a lecturer.
Coming from good architectural stock, his father was Ernest S Roberts who designed several cinemas including the Art Deco ‘Danilo’, later to become the Reel cinema, in Quinton, west Birmingham.
Leaving school at 14, he worked for his father and attended night school to qualify for the School of Architecture, even taking an evening job at the Birmingham Post & Mail where his work included drawing maps during the Second World War.
Serving in the Home Guard, he was responsible for keeping watch for enemy bombers from a tiny shed on top of the Council House clock tower which inspired the idea for the grade II-listed Rotunda.
Roberts’ fingerprints can be found all over Birmingham including The Sentinels on Holloway Head, the sweeping Ringway Centre in Smallbrook Queensway and 43 Temple Row – the latter two are now part of regeneration projects.
His work can be seen elsewhere including The Belfry hotel and golf complex near Coleshill, Wolverhampton’s Mander Centre and the famous St John’s Beacon, also known as Radio City Tower, in Liverpool.
Roberts was also known for his restoration projects which included the grade I 13th century West Bromwich Manor House and Soho House, the grade II home of manufacturer Matthew Boulton.
He set up his own business in his mother’s house and the practice, which became James A Roberts Associates, grew until it took up most of the top two floors of the Rotunda itself before closing down in the 1980s.
When the IRA bomb went off in the Mulberry Bush at the base of the tower in November 1974, Roberts was able to reassure the emergency services that the building was secure because of the stability of its core.
His daughter Alice told the Birmingham Post: “As a family, we are tremendously proud of the legacy he and his architectural practice leaves.
“This is both for his contemporary work, where he made a real impact recreating the post-war, Modernist skyline of Birmingham and Liverpool and, in complete contrast, his tenacious restoration of ancient monuments which have been protected for posterity and led to him being made an honorary member of the Ancient Monuments Society.
“His architectural style was pretty visionary.
“The idea of constructing an office block that was taller than anything else in 1960s Birmingham and was cylindrical was quite audacious.”
Roberts’ philosophy was very much in line with the Arts and Crafts movement and he liked to consider how the public would use a building, thinking about where the sunlight entered and how people would move within it.
Beyond the design of individual buildings, he was interested in how the urban landscape worked for people, berating Birmingham City Council for its focus on roads and cars rather than pedestrians.
In an interview with Birmingham City University in 2009, Roberts bemoaned the design of the city’s inner ring road by Herbert Manzoni, claiming he “had no interest in architecture… he wasn’t interested in people or pedestrians”.
Brutiful Birmingham, a campaign group which works for the preservation of the city’s 20th century architecture, is a big champion of Roberts’
As a family, we are tremendously proud of the legacy he and his architectural practice leaves.
work. The group said: “James Roberts was a key figure in the 1960s regeneration of Birmingham.
“As architect of the Rotunda, he will always be remembered as the man who put Birmingham on the map.
“His contribution to Birmingham’s cityscape also included iconic buildings like the Ringway Centre and 43 Temple Row.
“How sad that city planners are working with developers to obliterate the features of these buildings which speak so strongly of their original design and demonstrate the talent of this son of Birmingham.”
James A Roberts is survived by his children Sarah, Alice, Charles and Richard and six grandchildren. His funeral will take place on Thursday, July 11 at Test Valley Crematorium, in Romsey, Hampshire.
With thanks to Brutiful Birmingham for help compiling this obituary.