From shop to chic for art deco factory
EGYPTIAN-INSPIRED FACTORY IS NOW READY FOR RESIDENTS
WHETHER you know what it is or not, it’s difficult not to turn your head when passing the remarkable Art Deco Hoover Building alongside the A40.
The former factory turned supermarket, in Western Avenue, Ealing, isn’t your ordinary shop – it looks like a 1920s’ theatre or cinema and has been the subject of wonderment among visitors and people who are new to the area.
The Hoover Building became a local landmark when it was built during the 1930s as a factory for an American vacuum cleaner company. However, 50 years later, its interior was transformed to house one of the UK’s supermarket giants, Tesco.
Despite the modern refurbishment, the popular Art Deco exterior remained – to everyone’s relief.
And it looks like it’s here to stay, as new developers prepare to convert the Grade II-listed building into apartments and have released the stunning first pictures of the plush homes.
The way the iconic building has been used has changed over the years and is now set to transform further, but what did it use to be?
Back in 1932, the huge factory opened its doors as the base of the British division of The American Hoover Company.
While its impressive exterior looks of its time, it was, in fact, inspired by Egyptian art and design following the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb 10 years before.
Despite extending the building a few years after opening to include a canteen for its workers, the company relocated to a site in Scotland in the early 1980s, causing it to fall into disrepair.
Tesco bought the building in 1989 when a deal was struck with English Heritage, resulting in the preservation and restoration of the main building we see today.
In 2015, the iconic building passed hands to IDM Properties, which released the first images of the new homes last year.
The 66 apartments ranged from £295,000 for a studio to £649,995 for a three-bedroom property.
While the wooden hallways and white walls now line the building’s interior, little details still echo its 1930s past, from the engraved chests of drawers to the door frames
The apartments have now sold out but hey, you can still admire it from afar.