Landmark city tower announces change from Colston name
CThe tenants were asked to rank the shortlist ... Unity Tower, Beacon Tower, Vantage Point and Century Tower, with Beacon Tower chosen with a significant majority
OLSTON Tower has been renamed Beacon Tower. Investment firm AEW, which owns the 15-storey office block on Colston Street, removed the letters of its former name from the top of the building on June 11.
The move came four days after a nearby statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled during a Black Lives Matter demonstration.
Now AEW has confirmed Beacon Tower is the new name for the highrise - the latest in a series of Bristol landmarks to be dissociated from the merchant who profited on the lives of slaves.
The firm revealed 20 businesses based at site voted on the name ahead of Unity Tower, Vantage Point and Century Tower.
It comes after the Colston Hall concert venue opposite Colston Tower became the Bristol Beacon on September 23.
AEW worked with Bristol branding agency Moose Studios on the new name for Colston Tower.
“Moose Studios undertook market research to prepare a longlist of possible names which was then distilled down to a shortlist of four names for consideration,” said an AEW spokeswoman.
“The tenants were asked to rank the shortlist of four options by preference. These were Unity Tower, Beacon Tower, Vantage Point and Century Tower, with Beacon Tower chosen with a significant majority.
“Beacon Tower is home to a range of businesses in the tech, professional services, built environment and leisure industries.”
New signage is expected to be
AEW spokeswoman.
installed once permits are obtained, she added.
Tenants at the 89,000 sq ft site include care provider Newcross Healthcare, which has two floors of office space.
AEW emailed tenants in June to inform them the metal letters would be taken down “to reduce and remove any immediate security threat to the building”.
The email read: “The police have been made aware by highways and are on standby however whilst people may attend to watch the signs being removed we are not expecting a repeat of the events of the weekend as this should be seen as a positive move.
“As you may be aware whilst the building is not specifically named after Mr Colston it is named after Colston Street and is therefore associated with Colston in this manner.”
AEW bought Colston Tower from Resolution Property for £17.5million in 2017.
Earlier this month Colston’s Girls’ School, on Cheltenham Road in Montpelier, voted to change its name.
Following a consultation in which 75 per cent of staff and pupils were in favour, it became Montpelier High School.