Millennium Dome

The Millennium Dome is a large dome-shaped building in the Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, originally built to house an exhibition commemorating the start of the third millennium. This exhibition opened to the public on January 1, 2000 and closed on December 31 of the same year.

The Millennium Dome was designed by Richard Rogers and built by Sir Robert McAlpine.

History

Project Origins

The Millennium Dome project was conceived, originally on a smaller scale, under the Conservative government of John Major, as a Festival of Britain-type celebration to celebrate the third millennium. In 1994, Major constitutes the Millennium Commission and hands it over to Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine. In January 1996, the Greenwich location was chosen (Birmingham, Derby and Stratford had also been considered). The following December, the government decided to support the project with public money after failing to find private sponsors.

The incoming Labor government elected in 1997 under Tony Blair considerably expanded the size, scope and budget of the project. Expectations of what would be organized also increased. Just before its opening, Blair claimed that the Millennium Dome would be "a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over conformity, excellence over mediocrity". In June, Peter Mandelson MP is put in charge of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). However, Mandelson leaves the government in December 1998 after a financial scandal.

In January 1999, Charles Falconer replaced Mandelson. In May he opens the extension of the Jubilee Line, placing the Dome on the London Underground. This is also considered a scandal, since it opened 14 months late and with the station facilities not completed (for example, the elevators for access by people with disabilities).

June 22, 1999, the Dome structure is successfully completed, however, the opening evening between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000 is a disaster, keeping VIP guests waiting at the outside for hours due to a problem with the tickets. Even before its opening, the Millennium Dome was condemned in a tirade by Iain Sinclair, who predicted the hype, smug political posturing, and eventual disappointment.

Millennium Celebrations

Millennium Dome at night (September 2000).

Throughout 2000 the Millennium Dome was open to the public and housed numerous attractions. The interior space was divided into 14 "zones", some of which were considered to be lacking in content and indulging in political correctness. The "Travel" area, which detailed the history and development of transportation, was one of the few that received praise.

The center stage show was accompanied by music composed by Peter Gabriel and a troupe of 160 acrobats. The show was performed 999 times during the year. The commissioned film Blackadder: Back & Forth was showing at an independent cinema in the same location. These entertainments were spared the great wave of criticism that was showered on the rest of the project, although the lyrics and meaning of the show were considered difficult to follow by many and the film Blackadder was singled out for not being not as funny or scathing as the original four series and specials. The music from the show was later released on Peter Grabiel's album OVO, along with the lyrics. There are apparently no video recordings of the show, although it can be argued that it would be difficult to record such a large-scale show. Had the high attendance forecasts come to pass, the visitor experience would have suffered from queues and congestion.

There was also the McDonald's 'Story of Our Town' project, where each UK Local Education Authority was invited to put on a show about their idea of what made their region and its people unique.

There were various other attractions both inside and outside the Millennium Dome. Within this was a play area called the "Millennium Timekeepers" (including the characters Coggs and Sprinx), "The Millennium Mint Press" in association with the Royal Mint, the "Festival Bus of Britain in 1951” and the “Jewels of the Millennium”. Outside were the "Millennium Map" (13m tall), the "Children's Cube", "Looking Around" (a hidden installation), the "Greenwich Pavilion", the "Hanging Gardens" in front of the Dome, as well as various other installations and sculptures.

The project was frequently reported in the press as a failure: poorly planned, poorly carried out, and leaving the government the embarrassing problem of what to do with it next. During the year 2000 the organizers repeatedly requested and received more funds from the National Lottery that financed it, the Millennium Commission. The numerous changes at the management and leadership level, before and during the exhibitions, had limited or no results. News reports suggested that Blair himself placed a high priority on making the Millennium Dome a success. But part of the problem was that the financial predictions were based on unrealistically high visitor predictions of about 12 million. During the 12 months that it remained open, approximately 6.5 million visitors attended, just over the 6 million that attended the Festival of Britain, which was only open from May to September. Unlike the press, the visitor reports were positive. The Millennium Dome was the most popular tourist attraction of 2000 after the London Eye (the third being the Alton Towers, the first in 1999).

2001 - 2004

According to the UK's National Audit Office, the total cost of the Millennium Dome upon the liquidation of the New Millennium Experience Company in 2002 was £789 million, of which £628 million was covered by donations from the National Lottery and 189 million for ticket sales, etc. A $25 million surplus over costs indicates that not all of the National Lottery donation was needed. However, the 603 million contributed by it exceeded the original budget of 399 million by 204 million, due to the low number of visits.

Still of interest to the press, the British government's difficulties in getting rid of the Dome continue to be the subject of much critical comment. The amount spent on maintaining the closed building has also been criticized. Some reports reported that the cost of maintaining the Dome was £1m per month during 2001, but the government pointed out that such claims were exaggerations.

After the closure of the Dome, some areas were dismantled by the sponsoring organizations, but much of the content was auctioned off. This included several specially commissioned works of art from contemporary British artists. A Gavin Turk work sold for much less than its auction price although Turk claimed he did not believe the piece would have worked. A unique record of Dome memorabilia and paraphernalia is maintained by a private American collector.

In December 2001 it was announced that Meridian Delta Ltd had been chosen by the government to develop the Dome as a sports and leisure centre, as well as to build homes, shops and offices on the 150 acres (0.6 km²) of surrounding land. Several of London's higher education facilities are also expected to relocate to the site. Meridian Delta is backed by US billionaire Philip Anschutz, who has interests in oil, rail and telecommunications companies, as well as many sports-related investments.

Despite ongoing debate over the future of the Dome, it reopened in December 2003 for the Winter Wonderland 2003 show, culminating in a New Year's Eve fireworks and laser display..

At Christmas 2004, part of the main Dome building was used as a shelter for the homeless and others in need, organized by the charity Crisis.

The problems surrounding the Millennium Dome helped end Peter Mandelson's cabinet career. It also did much damage to John Prescott's. The project also did little to improve the reputation of Michael Heseltine and was an early example of the often excessive optimism of Tony Blair: "In the Dome we have a creation that, I think, will be a true benchmark for the world."

Reopening and name change to The O2

The Millennium Dome, with the Canary Wharf complex at the bottom, seen from the Thames. The 2012 London logo, currently removed from the Dome, can be promoted as an Olympic headquarters.

The Millennium Dome was redeveloped by the Anschutz Entertainment Group to a design by HOK SVE and Buro Happold, scheduled to reopen in 2007. As part of the investment program, the naming rights were sold to O2 plc. Anschutz's investment was partly conditional on the granting of a license to open a "casino" by the British government. As a consequence, the association between British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, with Philip Anschutz, chairman of the business group, has given rise to a serious political controversy in Britain, with allegations that Prescott may have misused his influence to favor Anschutz. Without this license, Anschutz's investment would be cut in half, to around £350 million.

On May 31, 2005, the telephone operator The O₂ (subsidiary of the Spanish Telefónica) bought the corresponding rights from the original promoter, Anschutz Entertainment Group. In the center of the dome, a covered sports venue called "The O2 Arena" was built, inaugurated on June 24, 2007 with a concert by the rock band Bon Jovi, with views set on the London 2012 Olympic Games, in the which was the venue for the gymnastics competitions and the final phase of basketball. During the Olympics, the sports venue was renamed "North Greenwich Arena".

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Features

The Millennium Dome seen from the River Thames

The Millennium Dome is the largest single-roofed structure in the world. Externally it resembles a large white tent with yellow support towers 100 m high, one for each month of the year or each hour of the clock face, representing the role played by Greenwich Mean Time. Its plan is circular, 365 m in diameter, one for each day of the year, with wavy edges. It has become one of the most recognizable unique buildings in the UK, easily visible from the air. Its exterior is reminiscent of the Dome of Discovery built for the 1951 Festival of Britain.

The structure of the building was designed by Buro Happold, weighing the entire roof structure less than the air contained by the building. Although it is called a dome, it is not strictly so as it does not support its own weight and requires the help of a network of cables supported by masts.

The canopy is made of PTFE-coated fiberglass cloth, a durable, weather-resistant plastic, reaching 50 m in height at the center. Its symmetry is interrupted by a hole through which a ventilation shaft from the Blackwall tunnel exits.

Complementary work

Aside from the dome itself, the project included the restoration of the entire Greenwich peninsula. The land had previously been abandoned and contaminated by toxic sludge from a former gas plant that operated between 1889 and 1985. The clean-up operations were seen by then-Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine as an investment that would add a large area of usable land. to the crowded capital. They were funded as part of the larger plan to regenerate a large, sparsely populated area of east London south of the Thames, initially called the East Thames Corridor but later promoted as the Thames Gateway.

This area is served by the North Greenwich tube station, inaugurated just before the Millennium Dome, belonging to the Jubilee Line.