What is Brutalism?
"Brutalism is not a term to endear buildings to the public, and the label has made this form of architecture an easy target for dismissive ridicule", writes Henrietta Billings from the Twentieth Century Society.
"It's origin is contested but it may derive from the French term 'betón brut' meaning 'raw concrete'.
The style is characterised by bold geometries, the exposure of structural materials and functional spatial design.
These monumental buildings are often dramatically and prominently sited, isolated from neighbouring buildings, giving uninterrupted views of the structure from many angles.
However, senior conservation adviser Henrietta Billings said Northampton's Greyfriars had "interesting elements" but was not of "outstanding architectural interest or quality" and not worth campaigning to save.
Question marks remain over what will be done with the site, but as another example of Brutalism disappears, is there a chance the mistakes of the past, the knocking down of fine examples of Victorian architecture, or inter-war art deco, could be repeated?
Beyond repair
Not according to Mr Kramer. The Brutalist architects got "wrapped up in believing their own rhetoric," he said.
"If a building doesn't work - they are too big to get overtly sentimental about.
"We can argue with hindsight that we knocked down too many buildings from the art deco period of the 1930s. I think we've had enough time as a community [with Greyfriars] to say 'do we want to save it'?
"If it was worth saving, we would have revamped it... this is just failing at so many levels, it's just far too big and continues to block any movement across the town and I think that's far more important to get right."
The gates have been locked across the "mouth of hell" as the building awaits its destruction
It is expected to take until the end of 2014 to complete Greyfriars' deconstruction
On Easter Sunday, the bridges that link Greyfriars to the Grosvenor complex will be removed, the first visible sign of the building's slow disappearance from the town's skyline which is due to be complete by the end of the year.
"Greyfriars is beyond repair and its demolition opens up a very large and significant site," said David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council.
"With the large regeneration projects that are changing the face of Northampton, this will breathe new life into this underused area of town and become one of the cornerstones for a bigger and better town centre."
Hear more about the "Mouth of Hell" on BBC Radio Northamptonat 08:25 BST from 22 - 25 April.
Follow @LaNUBlog & @Hon_KingSIMEO on Twitter for Updates
"It's origin is contested but it may derive from the French term 'betón brut' meaning 'raw concrete'.
The style is characterised by bold geometries, the exposure of structural materials and functional spatial design.
These monumental buildings are often dramatically and prominently sited, isolated from neighbouring buildings, giving uninterrupted views of the structure from many angles.
However, senior conservation adviser Henrietta Billings said Northampton's Greyfriars had "interesting elements" but was not of "outstanding architectural interest or quality" and not worth campaigning to save.
Question marks remain over what will be done with the site, but as another example of Brutalism disappears, is there a chance the mistakes of the past, the knocking down of fine examples of Victorian architecture, or inter-war art deco, could be repeated?
Beyond repair
Not according to Mr Kramer. The Brutalist architects got "wrapped up in believing their own rhetoric," he said.
"If a building doesn't work - they are too big to get overtly sentimental about.
"We can argue with hindsight that we knocked down too many buildings from the art deco period of the 1930s. I think we've had enough time as a community [with Greyfriars] to say 'do we want to save it'?
"If it was worth saving, we would have revamped it... this is just failing at so many levels, it's just far too big and continues to block any movement across the town and I think that's far more important to get right."
The gates have been locked across the "mouth of hell" as the building awaits its destruction
It is expected to take until the end of 2014 to complete Greyfriars' deconstruction
On Easter Sunday, the bridges that link Greyfriars to the Grosvenor complex will be removed, the first visible sign of the building's slow disappearance from the town's skyline which is due to be complete by the end of the year.
"Greyfriars is beyond repair and its demolition opens up a very large and significant site," said David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council.
"With the large regeneration projects that are changing the face of Northampton, this will breathe new life into this underused area of town and become one of the cornerstones for a bigger and better town centre."
Hear more about the "Mouth of Hell" on BBC Radio Northamptonat 08:25 BST from 22 - 25 April.
Follow @LaNUBlog & @Hon_KingSIMEO on Twitter for Updates
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