Elsworth Sykes Partnership: St. Giles Hotel, 1971C–1977
- London, Great Britain, Show on map
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The St. Giles Hotel building is a large-scale mixed-use complex in Bloomsbury, occupying an entire block behind Tottenham Court Road and incorporating, among other things, the Central London YMCA and retail space.
Architecturally, it is characterised by four parallel towers of varying heights (6–12 storeys) on a two-storey base. The ends of the structures are bevelled or tapered to provide as many rooms as possible with views. The façade shows a combination of smooth and grooved exposed concrete, strong vertical divisions and deep window reveals. -
In use as hotel. Following its acquisition by Criterion Capital in December 2024, the Central YMCA closed in February 2025. The site lies outside surrounding conservation areas and is considered vulnerable to full-scale demolition or damaging redevelopment. The grassroots initiative Save the Ex-CYMCA has secured Asset of Community Value (ACV) status and is campaigning for reuse. They have submitted an application for listing to Historic England, supported by the Twentieth Century Society (last updated on January 28, 2026).