Hoover Building

The Hoover Building is a landmark Art Deco industrial building on Western Avenue in Perivale, in the London Borough of Ealing. Designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, it opened in May 1933 as the United Kingdom headquarters, manufacturing plant and repair centre of the Hoover Company. Its monumental façade, geometric ornament, broad entrance canopy and prominent “Hoover Limited” lettering made it one of the most recognisable factory buildings on the arterial roads leading out of London. The building was created during the expansion of the domestic vacuum-cleaner market. The original headquarters was soon supplemented by manufacturing extensions as demand increased. By the mid-1930s, the site had grown to approximately 254,000 square feet, incorporating a larger production complex and an additional factory behind the first building. A canteen and recreation centre were completed in 1938. Contemporary descriptions presented the complex as a modern and unusually attractive model factory, while its welfare facilities and visitor tours helped communicate Hoover’s image as a progressive manufacturer. At its height in the 1930s, the site employed about 1,600 people. The architecture combines a palatial composition with industrial functionality. Its main elevation uses large columns, recessed glazed bays, strong horizontal and vertical lines, vivid colour and a dramatic sunburst motif above the central entrance. The design was intended to give workers a stimulating environment as well as to project confidence to motorists and visitors. Architectural historian John Betjeman later compared its scale and theatricality with a country house, while noting the influence of continental modernism and the decorative styles associated with the 1925 Paris Exhibition. During the Second World War, the factory was adapted to produce aircraft components, although vacuum-cleaner production continued at a reduced level. The buildings were camouflaged against aerial attack, and employees organised a Home Guard unit. The complex survived the war and was later enlarged with a five-storey northern extension. The main building received Grade II* listed status in 1980, followed by the canteen building in 1981. The official listing recognised the site as an especially significant and attractive example of an arterial-road factory. Tesco acquired the Hoover Building and most of the adjoining houses in 1989. Parts of the northern factory complex were demolished for a supermarket, while the principal building was repaired and adapted for office use. After periods of vacancy, IDM Properties acquired the building in 2015 and pursued a residential conversion. Conversion work began in 2017 and was completed in 2018 by IDM Properties with architectural involvement from Interrobang. The main building now contains 66 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The redevelopment retained and restored many historic elements, including staircases, wrought-iron balustrades, terrazzo floors, light fittings and Art Deco colour schemes. A new timber structure introduced a mezzanine within the former double-height ground floor, while the replacement roof created a new upper level with additional homes and rooflights. The Hoover Building therefore operates today primarily as a residential development and heritage landmark rather than as a manufacturing brand or industrial workplace.

The Hoover Building was developed by the Hoover Company as its British headquarters and principal London-area manufacturing site. The main building opened in May 1933 in Perivale, an area transformed by the growth of Western Avenue and interwar suburban industry. Wallis, Gilbert and Partners designed the building in a highly expressive Art Deco style. The practice was known for industrial and transport architecture, and the Hoover commission allowed it to treat a factory as both a functional workplace and a major public-facing architectural statement. The initial headquarters included administrative and service functions, but the rapid growth of Hoover vacuum-cleaner sales soon required additional production capacity. Factory extensions during the mid-1930s brought the site to roughly 254,000 square feet. A two-storey manufacturing extension and another factory were added behind the original building, followed by a canteen and recreation centre in 1938. The complex was widely publicised as a modern factory and welcomed visitors. Its welfare facilities, colourful interiors and carefully designed grounds supported Hoover’s reputation as an advanced employer and manufacturer. Approximately 1,600 people worked there during its 1930s peak. The building’s visual identity came from its monumental entrance, curved window bays, geometric ornament, primary-colour detailing and large company lettering. The central sunburst design became its most distinctive feature. The architecture drew on contemporary modernism while using a grand scale associated with civic or palatial buildings. This combination made the Hoover site an important example of the interwar factory as corporate image-making. The Second World War changed the site’s production role. It manufactured aircraft components for the war effort, although vacuum cleaners continued to be produced in smaller quantities. The structures were camouflaged to reduce their visibility to German bombers, and employees formed a Home Guard unit. The building survived the conflict, and a five-storey northern extension was subsequently constructed as the company’s operations developed. The principal building was listed Grade II* in 1980 and the canteen received the same grade in 1981. The designation identified the site as one of the most important and attractive factories built beside a London arterial road. In 1989 Tesco purchased the Hoover Building together with sixteen of the seventeen houses behind it. The northern portions of the manufacturing site were demolished to make way for a supermarket. The surviving main building was repaired and converted for office use, but later experienced periods in which it remained vacant. IDM Properties acquired the building in 2015 and developed a scheme to give it a new residential use while conserving its listed character. Construction began in 2017 and the conversion was completed in 2018, with Interrobang involved in the design. The scheme created 66 homes, including studios, apartments and maisonettes. A timber mezzanine was inserted into the former double-height ground floor, and the original staircase was reused to serve upper-level residences. A replacement zinc roof with rooflights enabled the creation of a new third-floor level. Historic staircases, terrazzo flooring, wrought-iron railings, light fittings and Art Deco interior colours were repaired or reinterpreted. The building’s current identity is consequently based on adaptive reuse: it is a residential property and protected architectural landmark whose name continues to recall the Hoover Company’s industrial presence.

• 2018

  Residential redevelopment completed

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The conservation-led conversion delivered 66 homes in the former headquarters.

• 2015

  IDM Properties acquisition

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  IDM Properties acquired the building with plans for residential conversion.

• 1989

  Tesco acquisition and partial redevelopment

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  Tesco acquired the building and adjoining properties; northern factory sections were removed for a supermarket.

• 1980

  Main building listed Grade II*

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The principal building received high-grade statutory heritage protection.

• 1940

  Wartime manufacturing adaptation

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The factory produced aircraft parts during the Second World War while maintaining reduced vacuum-cleaner production.

• 1938

  Canteen and recreation centre completed

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  A canteen and recreation centre were added to the expanding industrial complex.

• 1933

  Main building opens

  [1]Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The Art Deco headquarters opened in May as Hoover’s United Kingdom headquarters, factory and repair centre.

A heritage-led residential development centred on the conservation and adaptive reuse of a prominent British Art Deco industrial building.

• Residential property · 2018

  Hoover Building apartments

  The completed redevelopment contains 66 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. The scheme includes apartments and maisonettes arranged through the former headquarters, with some upper-level residences having terraces and two maisonettes incorporating listed tower staircases.

• Adaptive reuse · 2018

  Hoover Building heritage conversion

  The conversion is itself the building’s principal contemporary offering: a residential reuse project that combines new timber structures and a new roof level with restored Art Deco interiors, staircases, terrazzo floors, railings, lighting and colour treatments.

• 2015

  Residential adaptive reuseStrategy

  Background

  The building had experienced periods of vacancy after its office conversion.

  Action taken

  IDM Properties acquired the site and pursued a scheme to convert the main building into homes while conserving its listed architectural fabric.

  Aftermath

  The project was completed in 2018 with 66 residential units and restored historic features.

  Source

• 1989

  Conversion from industrial use to officesStrategy

  Background

  After Hoover’s manufacturing role declined, Tesco acquired the property and the northern factory area was cleared for a supermarket.

  Action taken

  The main listed building was repaired and refurbished for office accommodation rather than demolished.

  Aftermath

  The principal Art Deco structure survived, although much of the wider factory complex was lost.

  Source

1. 1Hoover Buildingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hoover Building residential developmenthooverbuilding-ub6.com