The fate of one of Sheffield’s best known, but most controversial, landmarks is sealed. Sometime this year the two cooling towers that stand next to the M1 will be demolished. Some people will be happy to see them go, but I won’t, I love them.
The two Toms (Tom James and Tom Keeley) had spearheaded a strong campaign to convert the towers into massive new artworks, but sadly it was not to be. So they marked the impending demise of the towers by organising a closing down sale of specially commissioned memorabilia, held in the Millennium Galleries. It proved to be extremely popular. The sale was supposed to run for up to two weeks, but everything sold out in less than a day, which shows how well loved these landmarks are.
I really hope that Tom James and Tom Keeley do remain involved in the debate over the artwork that is planned for part of the site after the towers are demolished. I can understand just how frustrated they feel about the way things have turned out, but whilst we have missed the opportunity to create an amazing artspace that would have attracted visitors to Sheffield, there is still the chance to create something that could be a new icon for the city.
If the two Toms make their voices heard, we might just still see something great created here, rather than just yet another missed opportunity.